Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with his 399th Grand Slam victory over Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.
Fourth seed Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th overall Grand Slam trophy, methodically defeated Mastrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to continue his quest for more history at Rod Laver Arena.
The 38-year-old hasn’t had to shift into top gear, maintaining a steady grip in the second round matchup and has now dropped just 14 games from two outings.
“I didn’t know much about him (Maestrelli) until a few days ago, but that happens a lot these days,” Djokovic said of his 23-year-old opponent.
“But there’s always respect and I didn’t underestimate him. He’s got a big serve and a big game, but just lacks a little bit of experience. He’s got the game to go much higher in the world rankings, and I wish him that.”
Djokovic had never lost in a major tournament to a player less than No. 141 Mastrelli, who was making his Grand Slam debut, and was in control from the start.
Djokovic took advantage of a break in the second game to cruise through the first set and then attacked again in the first game of the next set to put pressure on Mastrelli, but Mastrelli struggled to exploit the few openings he had.
The Serbian brought in a set point with an acrobatic backhand and secured the set with an unreturned shot from the same side, closing in on his 101st victory in Melbourne and falling just short of record-holder Roger Federer.
Mastrelli recovered the break after conceding two goals in the third set and had a rare moment of jubilation, but Djokovic leveled up again to wrap up the win.
Supreme Sinner dominates Home Hope Duckworth
Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner dominated home wildcard James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
The Italian world number two was reluctant to go into extra time at Rod Laver Arena as he prepared to face American Elliott Spizzilli.
This is Sinner’s 27th consecutive victory over an Australian at the tour level, with his last loss coming against Duckworth in Toronto in 2021.
Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the third round.
Musetti outscored his namesake in a long rally, but Sonego, 30, appeared to be struggling physically in the closing stages against his younger opponent.
Wawrinka’s Australian Open swan song continues
Stan Wawrinka fought one more day at his last Australian Open on Thursday, with the three-time Grand Slam champion winning 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-3) over Frenchman Arthur Geer.
The Swiss, who won his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne in 2014, followed by the French Open in 2015 and the US Open a year later, announced before the tournament that he would retire at the end of the 2026 season.
This was Wawrinka’s 49th five-set Grand Slam match, more than any other player, and when asked how he felt after the match, he said, “I’m exhausted.”
But it was the 21-year-old Geer, who was playing the first five-set match of his career, who suffered physically, with the Frenchman struggling with his knee throughout the decisive tie-break.
“This is my last Australian Open and I’m trying to make it last as long as possible,” Wawrinka added, addressing the crowd.
“I’m not young anymore and I need your energy. It feels great to be on this court. A lot of noise and a lot of support.”
Wawrinka’s reward for breaking Gear is a matchup with No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz on Friday.
As for how he plans to recover, Wawrinka pointed to fans in the stands and said: “I don’t know, but I think you dropped the beer first, so I’m going to pick it up too. I have a right to a beer.”
Fritz, a former US Open finalist, continued his strong start to the season by defeating Bit Kopriva 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
Vashlot: These days I try to be first in everything.
Valentin Vacherot proves his breakthrough in Shanghai last fall was no fluke
No. 30 seed Valentin Bachelot continues to show that his impressive rise in Shanghai last fall was no fluke with a 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata.
The 27-year-old, the first Monegasque player to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open era, won the title in qualifying for the Masters 1000 in China, defeating his cousin Arthur Lindernecke in the final.
This elevated athletes who had competed almost exclusively at the lower levels to the world stage.
His first-round victory over Martin Damm was the second of five set matches he played, and he also beat Hijikata.
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Highlights of Bachelot’s victory over cousin Arthur Rinderkneck in the Shanghai Masters final
He said of the historic moment: “These days you try to be first at everything, but no, it’s great. I have a lot of pride for this country. I know a lot of people are following me back home. A lot of people are awake and I’m really happy about that. I’m happy to win for them.”
“I think so many people thought it was just a week. Even though I did well after[the Masters]in Paris, I think it was probably a confidence issue at the moment, so I’m really happy to have won as many matches as possible.”
“If there are people out there wondering if I have that level, maybe they have more of an answer. I’m just playing tennis and trying to play as well this season and in every tournament.”
After the American defeated Australian qualifier Dane Sweeney 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, he will next face No. 8 seed Ben Shelton.
“I’m excited. I’m really happy to play against him because he was really young because he played two years in college and the first year was the same,” Vashlot said.
“Even though he was only 17 or 18 years old, his serve was already pretty impressive…It allowed me to play against top 10 players and see what I could do.”
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