BRISBANE, Jan. 2, 2025 — Novak Djokovic kept his pursuit of a 100th career ATP title alive with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory over Gael Monfils in the Brisbane International Round of 16 on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old Serbian will face Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals after the American edged past Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in two tie-break sets, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-4).
Djokovic seized his only break-point opportunity in the first set, quickly building a 4-1 lead before securing the set in just 36 minutes. In the second set, Monfils, 38, missed a routine forehand at 1-1, allowing Novak to break serve. From there, Djokovic held serve three times and broke Monfils again at 5-3 to clinch his 20th career win against the Frenchman.
The quarterfinal match will mark the first-ever meeting between Djokovic and Opelka. The 24-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged the challenge of facing Opelka’s powerful serve, with the American firing 25 aces in his victory over Arnaldi.
“Opelka has been dealing with injuries and struggled for a couple of years,” Djokovic said. “My gosh, I’m going to have to step back a few steps for that first serve.”
Source: bbc.com
