Cincinnati: Djokovic enters quarters

Cincinnati, Aug 19: Novak Djokovic extended his career-long domination of Gael Monfils with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open. The Serb second seed, a two-time winner in Cincinnati, won his 19th match against the French showman without a defeat. He needed just 69 minutes to follow top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz into the last eight, the Spaniard withstanding a string of frustrating rain delays to beat Tommy Paul 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (7/0) 6-3 and avenge a loss to the American last week. Djokovic applied the pressure early against Monfils in the battle of 36-year-old veterans, denying the number 211 his first last-eight place here since 2011. Djokovic will next take on American Taylor Fritz, who advanced after Dusan Lajovic retired with a toe injury trailing 5-0. Djokovic broke once to claim the first set and quickly ran up a 5-0 lead in the second. He faltered while trying to serve it out, dropping his serve only to complete the contest two games later. “Gael is one of the most athletic guys on the tour and he showed that in the first set,” Djokovic said. “Every ball comes back from him. “I served well and made him play. After the first break I didn’t look back and raised my level. “I had an almost flawless second set,” added Djokovic. “Hopefully I can keep it going.”