Dubai: Novak Djokovic has extended his unbeaten start to the 2020 season by cruising past Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri to make it to the second round of the Dubai Championships.
Djokovic defeated Jaziri 6-1, 6-2 in what turned out to be a one-sided contest on Monday. The World No. 1 landed 22 winners and did not face a break point to improve to 14-0 this year after exactly one hour.
"It's a great way to start out the tournament," Djokovic was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour website. "As I've said in the press conference prior to the tournament, I miss playing here. I really enjoy it. I enjoy night sessions… I think I've done everything as well as I imagined it to be for the first match. Of course, there's things that always can be improved, things that can be better. But I have to be satisfied with the performance."
Djokovic is chasing his fifth title in Dubai. The 32-year-old owns a 37-6 tournament record, highlighted by tournament victories in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
The Serbian will face 2014 semi-finalist Philipp Kohlschreiber for a spot in the quarter-finals who recovered from a set down to move past Egyptian wild card Mohamed Safwat 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.