On Wednesday, Novak Djokovic defeated Tallon Griekspoor by 6-2, 6-3, and easily advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Midway through his record 378th week as the number one in the world, the Serbian picked up his 19th straight triumph by resolving his last-sixteen match in straight sets.
Griekspoor, who was ranked 39th in the ATP rankings at the time, was no match for the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who destroyed him in an hour and 22 minutes.
A late dropped service game at 5-1 up in the second set was the only significant blemish on Djokovic’s otherwise near-perfect performance.
“It’s been a great evening for me,” Djokovic said in his post-match interview.
“Yesterday [against Tomas Machac], I really had to work hard to get a win. Tonight, right from the blocks, I think I was sharp. I definitely played better than I did last night.
“Maybe the last three or four games weren’t the best to close the match, but I managed to find a good serve in the end.
“I’m very pleased with the performance and with the way I felt on the court, and hopefully things can go in the right direction for tomorrow.”
Djokovic, who remains undefeated in 2023, is bidding to win the Dubai title for a sixth time, in what represents his first tournament since he won the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic delivers in Dubai 📬
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 1, 2023
13 trips to @DDFTennis, 13 QFs following a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Griekspoor#DDFTennis | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/vvafquRHaS
Elsewhere, second and third seeds Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev joined Djokovic in easing their way into the last eight.
The former was made to work by Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina however, recovering for a 1-6 7-6 7-6 win, while the latter saw off Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-2.
Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime crashed out with a surprise 7-6 6-4 loss to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, who is rewarded with a last-eight clash against seventh seed Alexander Zverev.