Unbeatable Novak Djokovic beats Stanislas Wawrinka; enters the quarterfinals of Rome Masters
World number two Novak Djokovic continued to extend his streak during the third round match at the Rome Masters. The Serbian remained undefeated in his 2011 campaign by outplaying Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in two sets 6-4,
6-1 on Thursday. With this win, the 23-year-old Serbian has extended his unbelievable match winning streak to 34 matches.
With Wawrinka coming out firing, Djokovic found himself in a loss in the opening stages of the match. But later on the Serbian was in control of the situation and never looked in danger as he comfortably breezed past the Swiss
in straight sets. The 6-ft 2-in Djokovic didn’t commit any double fault and his second serve was approximately as good as his first and his opponent couldn’t find a way past him. The most successful player on tour sustained a tough challenge but he showed
some of his trademark two-handed backhand to race towards the victory, striking twenty three winners against twenty errors. The Serbian dominated the rallies and effectively moved the Swiss from side to side.
The Serbian kicked off the first set on a bad note but he managed to secure series of breakpoints before taking the game to new heights. Wawrinka proved himself the better player statistically, as he scored four aces and 74 percent
of first serves. Djokovic on the other lagged behind with 61 percent of first serves and the only ace he fired in the opener. The 23-year-old Serb saved all four breakpoints in an attempt to up the level of his game. In the mean time, the Swiss took care of
his first two service games and managed to take the score at 2-3. Djokovic was rapid around the court and it paid off early on with a break. He displayed an amazing speed and broke to get back on serve at 5-4 as Wawrinka’s pace dropped. Wawrinka looked like
wilting under the pressure and Djokovic’s power play forced an error from his opponent’s racquet to close out the first set 6-4.
Not surprisingly the tenth game of the match proved a crucial role in deciding the outcomes of the contest. The 26-year-old Swiss had used every possible method to mislead the Serbian, but the underdog could not do the same in
the final set. He got off to a weak start, losing six games in the entire second set. That’s when his game fell apart however he donated a whopping 88 percent of his first serves before the Serbian served it out at 6-1.
World number two is set for a quarterfinal meeting with fifth seed Robin Soderling, as the two square off for a place in the semi-final of the tournament. The two will contest their sixth career match on Friday with Djokovic leading
their head-to-head sequence by 5-1. Soderling who can turn in an excellent performance on any given day could be really dangerous for the Serbian. The Swede is a massive hitter and has the ability to play under huge pressure, so if the Serbian wishes to extend
his winning streak to 35 matches, he really needs to come up with some solid plans.
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