Wednesday 29 June 2016 21:47, UK
Novak Djokovic overcame a spirited Adrian Mannarino to register a landmark win in the second round of Wimbledon.
The defending men's champion was forced to work in the final set for a 6-4 6-3 7-6 win over the Frenchman, which brought up his 30th straight victory in a Grand Slam tournament.
Djokovic, who has already won the Australian Open and French Open this year, now has sole ownership of third place in the all-time list of consecutive victories at major competitions.
The world No 1 will next face either 28th seed Sam Querrey or Thomaz Bellucci in the third round as he continues his challenge for a third consecutive title.
Mannarino, playing on his 28th birthday, had little cause for celebration when he was decisively broken at the end of the first set, while Djokovic comfortably collected the second to gain a firm grip on the match.
But the Frenchman was determined to prolong his stay on Centre Court and broke back to force a tie-break before Djokovic extended his dominant record.
The 10th seeded Tomas Berdych overcame a second set slip-up in his 7-6 5-7 6-1 7-6 first round win over Ivan Dodig.
Australian Bernard Tomic, the 19th seed, battled to a 4-6 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-4 win over Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
Eighth seed Dominic Thiem has also progressed after a 7-5 6-4 6-4 win over German Florian Mayer.
"I had to concentrate very hard," said the 22-year-old Austrian. "Had I let my level drop, things would certainly have ended badly, so I am really happy to have made it through."
The 19-year-old Alexander Zverev, another young talent, advanced with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Paul-Henri Mathieu.
