The six-time Paris Masters champion Novak Djokovic is through into the third round at the season’s last Masters 1000 event. Novak took down Maxime Cressy 7-6, 6-4 in an hour and 43 minutes, scoring his 42nd victory from 50 encounters at the notable indoor event.
Djokovic had to stay focused against a dangerous serve & volley player, and he held everything under control in his games. Novak lost six points behind the initial shot and kept the pressure on the other side. The American gave his best to stay competitive, hitting 15 aces and ten double faults and rushing to the net almost 50 times.
Cressy saved four out of five break points and led 4-3 in the second set before Djokovic delivered his lone break and rattled off three straight games to emerge at the top. Novak hit 19 winners and five unforced errors, while his rival landed 36 winners and 22 errors.
Novak Djokovic defeated Maxime Cressy in the Paris Masters R2.
The Serb was more efficient in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, following the rival’s number of service winners and outplaying him in the more extended exchanges to seal the deal in straight sets.
Djokovic settled into a fine rhythm and barely lost a point behind the initial shot in the opening set. Cressy held after a couple of deuces in the encounter’s second game and closed it with a service winner to get his name to the scoreboard.
Novak held at love in the seventh game with an unreturned serve and earned three break chances in the next one from 40-0 down! Maxime fended them off with unreturned serves and brought the game home with a smash winner for 4-4 and a vital hold.
Cressy served to stay in the set at 4-5 and landed an ace to extend the battle. Both players served well in games 11 and 12 to introduce a tie break. Novak grabbed an early mini-break and scored another with a forehand down the line winner in the sixth point for 5-1.
Cressy hit a double fault in the seventh point and offered Djokovic five set points. Novak seized the first with an ace for 7-6 in a challenging 60 minutes. Maxime denied a break point at the start of the second set with a volley winner, and they stayed neck and neck until 4-4.
The American hit a costly double fault in game nine to face two break points. Novak hit a sharp winner on the first to deliver a break and serve for the victory in the next one. Djokovic placed a volley winner at the net at 5-4 to seal the deal and advance into the third round.
