By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, May 14, 2018
Four-time former champion Novak Djokovic broke serve four time igniting his 6-1, 6-3 dismissal of Alexandr Dolgopolov in his Rome opener.
Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d'Italia Facebook
Rome represents both a revival ground and battle for relevance for Novak Djokovic.
The 18th-ranked Djokovic arrived in the Eternal City at his lowest ranking since 2006, while trying to shake a season-long stupor that's seen him fail to survive the second round in four of six tournaments.
Watch: Claypova vs. King of Clay
Djokovic made an opening statement today.
A ruthless Djokovic won eight straight points igniting a 6-1, 6-3 dismissal of Alexandr Dolgopolov in his Rome opener.
The four-time Rome champion broke serve four times charging through a 55-minute shellacking.
"It was a great start," Djokovic said. "I always feel very comfortable in Rome. I think the conditions are quite suitable to my game. I think over the years I've had great results...
"I always look forward to coming back to Rome because there is a special bond that I feel like has been nurtured over the years with people. They love tennis. They have a great tradition of club tennis."
A four-time Rome runner-up, Djokovic is defending 600 ranking points from his run to the 2017 Rome final where he fell to Alexander Zverev.
Knowing he needed a fast start, Djokovic delivered a commanding performance against Dolgopolov, who was playing only his second Tour-level match since the Australian Open as he recovered from a wrist injury.
The 10th-seeded Serbian broke three times in the opening set, including breaking to seal a one-set lead. Djokovic raised his Rome record to 43-7 defeating Dolgopolov for the sixth time in as many meetings.
"I feel like my game has been going in the right direction in the last couple tournaments,” said Djokovic. "I know that I haven’t been up to the level that I desired, but, as I said, you know, Madrid and now the first match here has been already encouraging, you know, story. And hopefully, I can continue in the right way."
Bidding to score back-to-back victories for the first time since Monte-Carlo last month, Djokovic will face a qualifier in the second round, either Italian Filippo Baldi or Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion won his last major at the 2016 Roland Garros and is aiming to peak for Paris this month.
"The French Open is where I want to play my best tennis that is one big goal for this part of the season," Djokovic said. "I feel I'm going in the right direction."
Kei Nishikori dispatched Feliciano Lopez, 7-6 (5), 6-4, setting up a blockbuster second-round clash with third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. The 24th-ranked Japanese has won three of four meetings with the Nitto ATP Finals champion.
Philipp Kohlschreiber continued his strong clay-court run edging powerful Russian Karen Khachanov, 7-5, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6) in a three-hour, five-minute marathon.
It marks the second time this season Kolshschreiber outdueled Khachanov in a third-set tie break, following his 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5) triumph in Rotterdam in February.
The Munich finalist will face American Jack Sock in the second round. The 13th-seeded Sock swept former finalist David Ferrer, 6-3, 6-4, yesterday.
In a battle of left-handers, Albert Ramos-Vinolas stopped Argentina qualifier Federico Delbonis, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. After scoring his first win over Delbonis in four meetings, Ramos-Vinolas exchanged words with the Argentine with the chair umpire climbing down to separate the two men and prevent a possible fight breaking out.
Ramos-Vinolas advanced to a second-round meeting with Miami Open champion John Isner.
No. 9-seeded David Goffin crushed Leonardo Mayer, 6-1, 6-2, cruising into a second-round match with Italian wild card Marco Cecchinato, who surprised Pablo Cuevas, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.