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Supreme Djokovic trounces Medvedev to win 9th Aussie Open

Melbourne, Australia, Feb 21 (efe-epa).- A dominant Novak Djokovic won his ninth Australian Open title on Sunday after a straight sets win over Russian Daniil Medvedev.

The reigning champion in Melbourne beat the fourth-seed 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 thanks to an utterly ruthless showing, as well as an error-strewn performance from Medvedev.

“He’s definitely one of the toughest players I ever faced in my life,” Djokovic said afterwards. “It’s a matter of time that you will hold a Grand Slam for sure — if you don’t mind waiting a few more years.”

On the evidence of this performance, the Russian will be made to wait a while yet, with Djokovic clearly still at the peak of his powers.

The first set was a topsy-turvy affair — after winning an early break in the second game, Djokovic, looking confident and mobile, extended his strong start to 3-0 after holding to love.

Medvedev got on the board with his second service game, a pair of aces helping him gain a foothold in the contest.

After a game peppered with long, extended rallies, the Russian broke back in the fifth game to reduce the deficit to 3-2, before leveling the set in the next game with his first love hold of the evening.

In an attempt to wrest back control of the match, Djokovic switched up his approach, abandoning a baseline-heavy approach for more slices and drop shots as he tried to bring Medvedev into the net and out of his comfort zone.

Stronger serves also eliminated the extended rallies that were giving the Russian a fighting chance.

Medvedev was also serving well, holding to make it 5-5.

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