Djokovic through to 10th Shanghai Masters quarterfinal

Novak Djokovic defeated Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters for the 10th time on Wednesday.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his round of 16 match against Russia’s Roman Safiullin. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Novak Djokovic defeated Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters for the 10th time on Wednesday.

The No 1 ranked Serb defeated Safiullin in 73 minutes and will face Jakub Mensik, who overpowered Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, in the quarterfinal.

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The record four-time champion remains in contention for a 100th tour-level title and if he manages to do so in Shanghai, he will become the third man to achieve this feat in the Open Era after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.

“Both last night’s match and tonight have been, maybe, some of the best matches I have played in a while, so I am just enjoying myself on the court,” Djokovic told the ATP Tour site. “When you play well and feel good, there is obviously a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball on the court.

“These sensations I have on the tennis court are some of the reasons why I keep on playing and keep on competing because I really believe that I can play at a very high level. Now, it’s a matter of keeping that consistency and also having a good time off the court.”

(With inputs from ATP Tour)