Djokovic eases to third round of Paris Masters

Paris [France]: World No.1 Novak Djokovic progressed to the last 16 of the Paris Masters with a comfortable straight-sets win over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller on Wednesday.

The Serbian defeated Muller 6-3, 6-4 without much of difficulty. The Serbian will now face 14th seeded Grigor Dimitrov in what could be an intriguing third-round clash.

The 29-year-old must reach the final in Paris to guarantee he extends his 122-week reign at the top of the rankings with Andy Murray rapidly closing in on the Serb. However, failure to do so would allow Murray to overtake him if the Scot can win the title, or if Murray reaches the final and Djokovic exits before the semis.

Meanwhile, Murray edged out Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the second round contest in his quest for the numero one ranking.

The World No. 2 won 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in two hours and 29 minutes despite a patchy display. He will now face Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the last 16 contest.

(ANI)