Djokovic overpowers Monfils with convincing victory, secure quarterfinal berth at Cincinnati Open

Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open with a straightforward victory over Gael Monfils, winning 6-3, 6-2.

Nearly 18 years after their first encounter, Gael Monfils and Novak Djokovic once again crossed paths in a tournament and faced off for the 19th time, with an incredible dominance by the Serbian at 18-0.

Djokovic had a swift second-round match following Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's retirement with the score at 6-4, 0-0 in favor of Djokovic, lasting just 42 minutes.

Frenchman Gael Monfils advanced by defeating 13th seed Cameron Norrie and recent Canadian Open finalist Alex de Minaur. The former world No. 6 has enjoyed an excellent campaign after a year away from the courts, during which he dropped to world No. 394.

Former world No. 1 Djokovic posed problems to Monfils with his service in the second game of the set, but the Frenchman recovered and maintained parity without conceding further break points until 4-3.

An erratic game from the former world No. 5 allowed Djokovic to break to love, and he then confirmed the set in his favor with his service, winning 6-3.

Monfils lost his way in the second set, conceding his service three times in a row to an impeccable Djokovic, who capitalized on his opportunities and went 5-0 ahead. A break in favor of Monfils allowed him to narrow the margin, but 'Nole' ultimately sealed the match 6-2.

Djokovic hit 61% of his first serves, winning 80% of them, and 63% with his second serve. On Monfils' side, he had a 54% first serve accuracy and won 80% of those points, but when playing with the second serve, he managed only 15%.

This marks Djokovic's 19th victory over Monfils, setting a new record for the most one-sided h2h, surpassing Rafael Nadal's 18-0 record against Richard Gasquet.

In the next round, Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz, who progressed to the second round after Dusan Lajovic's retirement during the first set with a score of 5-0 in favor of the American. Djokovic holds a 6-0 h2h record against Fritz, with their last meeting occurring at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals