Novak Djokovic beats Steve Johnson in the Cincinnati Masters first round
Tuesday 14 August 2018 08:20, UK
Novak Djokovic bounced back from last week’s shock defeat by beating Steve Johnson at the Cincinnati Masters.
The former world No 1 was dumped out of the Rogers Cup by Stefanos Tsitsipas but returned successfully, winning 6-4 7-6 against Johnson in the first round.
Djokovic, a five-time finalist who is yet to win the Cincinnati trophy, needed nine match point opportunities to eventually dispatch Johnson, the world No 33.
Seeded 10th, Djokovic had earlier needed 10 games to break Johnson's serve for the first time but ultimately won in straight sets.
Stan Wawrinka, on the mend after knee surgery, won 6-2 4-6 6-3 against Diego Schwartzman to set up a tie against Kei Nishikori, who beat Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-3.
Sam Querrey beat fellow American John Isner 6-4 6-7 7-6 - Querrey smashed 26 aces, Isner hit 38.
