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Novak Djokovic started his Paris Masters title defence with a straight-set victory as he downed Maxime Cressy 7-6(1) 6-4 in what was their first meeting. It also meant that the Serb maintained two impressive streaks, winning his 17th match in a row and his 11th straight match at Paris-Bercy.
Djokovic and Cressy had never faced off on the tour before, and the American had a tough task on his hands in trying to beat the Serb, who was on a 16-match winning streak with his last loss coming in the French Open quarter-final. The world No 34 remained strong in his opening service game as he held for 1-1 after seven minutes, keeping himself hot on Djokovic’s heels.
The 25-year-old was then able to save three break points at 3-4 and managed to stay neck-and-neck with the defending champion, forcing a tiebreak to decide the first set. The sixth seed went into a new gear in the breaker, racing to a 6-1 lead courtesy of some mistakes from Cressy’s racket, and closed it out 7-6(1) after exactly an hour.
The French-born American was able to save a break point to open the second set with a hold, ensuring he didn’t fall further behind. And it became another closely-fought set as both men got through their service games comfortably.
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