By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 14, 2015

 

Novak Djokovic crushed Martin Klizan in 62 minutes to score his 13th straight win and roll into the Shanghai Rolex Masters round of 16.

Photo credit: AFP

Novak Djokovic had already broken serve four times when he pushed Martin Klizan past the breaking point.

Three games into the second set, Djokovic's oppressive defense combined with his own erratic play prompted Klizan to crack his racquet in half in frustration. He later handed the remnants of the wreckage to a fan.

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Across the net, Djokovic was in no mood for gift-giving.

The world No. 1 reeled off the first four games then won five straight games to open the second set, crushing Klizan 6-2, 6-1, to advance to the Shanghai Rolex Masters round of 16.

It was Djokovic's 13th consecutive victory following his title runs at the US Open and Beijing. He extended his run of success in China to 34-1 and barely looked stressed doing it.

Djokovic dropped just 18 games en route to his eighth title of the season in Beijing last week. He played with the focus of a man playing for a shutout today.

The 10-time Grand Slam champion served 73 percent, won 12 of 13 points played on his second serve and faced only one break point in carving up the 44th-ranked Slovak.

Breezing to a 4-0 lead, Djokovic endured his only real lapse when Klizan reeled off eight of nine points to cut the lead to 2-4. Rallying from 15-30 down, Djokovic held for 5-2.

Klizan saved two set points, but badly bungled an easy smash sending it long to face a third set point. He scattered a backhand long as Djokovic closed the first set with his third break of the set.

The depth and consistency of Djokovic's drives spread the court and sent Klizan into flights of frustration. The left-hander could not find open spaces on court. His efforts to squeeze shots closer to the lines proved futile: Klizan committed 35 unforced errors—20 more than the top seed.

Dominating his opponent's second delivery, Djokovic won 15 of 21 points played on Klizan's second serve while draining his opponent's self belief.

Djokovic broke for a 2-0 second-set lead. He served 81 percent and permitted just five points on serve in the second set quickly racing out to a 5-0 lead.

When Klizan stuck a forehand into net, Djokovic wrapped up a tidy 62-minute victory. The two-time Shanghai champion raised his 2015 record to 69-5, including a 46-4 record on hard courts.

Djokovic will play either Dominic Thiem or 15th-seeded Feliciano Lopez for a quarterfinal spot.