Gaël Monfils’ first victory against Novak Djokovic will still have to wait.
The Frenchman, winner of Nishesh Basavareddy for his entry into the running in Brisbane, saw the level rise several levels further in the round of 16.
Novak Djokovic stood in the way of the 38-year-old, and Monfils had never beaten him in 19 previous meetings.
Despite some good points, Gaël Monfils could not really compete with the Serb, who only conceded one break point in the entire match.
More regular in the exchange, Djokovic won without trembling 6-3, 6-3 in 1h12 and therefore retained his invincibility against one of his favorite preys.
This is the 20th consecutive victory for the man at the 24 Grand Slams against Monfils, in what constitutes the most lopsided head-to-head of the Open era.
Indeed, no player before him had won 20 matches against the same player without conceding the slightest defeat.
With this victory, Djokovic reached his 217th quarter-final on the ATP circuit in his career, at the same time tying Ivan Lendl in fourth place in this ranking.
The record is held by Jimmy Connors (276), ahead of Roger Federer (245) and Rafael Nadal (226). In his next round, he will face Reilly Opelka.
