World number one Novak Djokovic eased past Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-0 to reach the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo.
In his best match since the Australian Open final, Novak Djokovic made light work of Taylor Fritz to move into the last eight in Monaco.
After 68 minutes the Serb outsmarted his American opponent to reach the quarter-finals as he continues his Roland Garros preparations.
As a result, Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev after the Russian beat arch-nemesis Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 1-6 6-4 to reach the last eight.
The match started with both men at a good level as Fritz had momentum on his side after a very good win over Diego Schwartzman in the last round.
However the Djokovic plan was very clear from the start and it was executed perfectly as he aimed to take the legs of Fritz out of the match.
Moving him side-to-side Djokovic punished Fritz with some brutal backhands and rallies as the Serb broke to 15 for a 3-2 lead.
Another break soon followed as the world number one was controlling the baseline with authority and used great variety as well.
Despite Fritz earning one of the breaks back, some more punishing shot-making saw Djokovic break straight back and seal the first set in 40 minutes.
The second set continued to be one-way traffic as the Serb cruised to victory with some insane angles and unpredictability.
Smooth sailing by the sea ⛵@DjokerNole cruises past Fritz 6-3 6-0 to set up a last 8 clash with Medvedev.#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/yoNesyfT4h
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 18, 2019
A run of seven games ended Fritz’s campaign in Monaco as the Serb moved into a first Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season.
After a couple of tough tournaments, Djokovic got back to his vintage best in a match that will give him plenty of confidence heading into a tough clay-court stretch.
Up next for Djokovic is Russian Daniil Medvedev after he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas for a fourth consecutive time. The tenth seed outsmarted Tsitsipas in a 6-2 1-6 6-4 win to see him into the last eight in Monte-Carlo.
Djokovic and Medvedev have met once this season with the Serb winning a tough four set battle at the Australian Open and tomorrow will be just as physically exhausting.
