Serbian Novak Djokovic, world No.1, beat Frenchman Gaël Monfils (ATP 21) for the 18th time in as many games on Tuesday in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Madrid.
According to the ATP, this is the first time a player has reached an 18-0 record in his duel with an opponent on the circuit in the Open era, with different matchups boasting a 17-0 record.
Djokovic and Monfils first met on the main circuit in 2005 at the US Open.
This is Djokovic’s first victory in straight sets since the start of the season on clay, after an entry elimination in Monte-Carlo and a defeat in the final in Belgrade, where he had each time needed three innings to win his matches.
Djokovic this time dominated Monfils 6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour and 28 minutes. The Serb will face Briton Andy Murray (ATP 78) or Canadian Denis Shapovalov (ATP 16) in the round of 16.
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