London, June 30 (BNA): Top seed Novak Djokovic appeared to be the dominant player who has won the last three Wimbledon titles with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory over Australian Tanase Kokinakis to the third round.
The 35-year-old, who was offered his seventh Wimbledon title, looked disoriented during his first win over Kwon Sun-Woo, but soon returned to his usual high standards against 79th seed Kokkinakis.
He defeated Australian Roger Federer in the second round of the Miami Masters in 2018, but there was no indication of another upset on center court as the 20-times champion imposed his conditions from the start.
This was Djokovic’s 23rd consecutive victory at a Grand Slam on grass.
“I am very happy with my performance today,” Djokovic said on court. “I thought I started very well, very strong from the back of the court, I made him work at every point I was able to get back into play.
“I tried to work with him around the field, bring a lot of variety into the game.
“It wasn’t easy to serve because of the wind, it was really fast today on the court, it’s very difficult to throw the ball. But I think for my part overall, a really high quality performance and I’m very happy.”
The Serbian, who beat Kokinakis in straight sets in his only previous encounter seven years ago at Roland Garros, broke early in each of the three sets and managed five breaks in the match.
Djokovic dominated the rallies with his precise groundstrokes and was eager to advance at every opportunity – winning 30 of his 38 points at the net.
He got the fans on their feet with well-convincing shots, and when Kokkinakis chased after a few of them, Djokovic coolly played the top ball to keep his opponent stuck in the net.
Kokinakis’ only chance of serving Djokovic came when the Serb was serving for the win, but he saved the stopping point and sealed the win within two hours of his second match point.
“I must say that I am very happy with the way you have raised the bar in tennis in two days,” Djokovic added.
“I hope to keep this track, and keep improving as the championship progresses. Obviously I’m just thinking about the next challenge and I hope things get better.”
To reserve a place in the fourth round, Djokovic will meet his compatriot Miomir Kikmanovic, who beat Chile’s Alejandro Tapelo in four sets.