Novak Djokovic swept past promising Italian teenager Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-2 in Monte Carlo on Wednesday on the Serbian world number one’s first appearance since claiming the Australian Open in February.
And the man he is seeded to meet in the final, Rafael Nadal, encountered even less resistance in brushing aside Federico Delbonis 6-1, 6-2 on his delayed return after injury since losing in the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
“Solid” is how Djokovic described his own performance.
Djokovic will next face for the first time Briton Daniel Evans, who ousted Hubert Hurkacz, Sinner’s Miami conqueror, for a place in the quarterfinals.
Later Wednesday, Nadal took just 81 minutes to send world number 87 Delbonis packing, with Grigor Dimitrov waiting for him in the next round.
Important results: Second round: Stefanos Tsitsipas bt Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4; Andrey Rublev bt Salvatore Caruso 6-3, 6-2; Fabio Fognini bt Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-3; Grigor Dimitrov bt Jeremy Chardy 7-6(3), 6-4; Cristian Garin bt John Millman 6-1, 6-4; Casper Ruud bt Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3; David Goffin bt Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-0; Novak Djokovic bt Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-2; Lucas Pouille bt Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-3; Daniel Evans bt Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-1; Roberto Bautista Agut bt Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-4; Rafael Nadal bt Federico Delbonis 6-1, 6-2; Pablo Carreno Busta bt Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-3.
