World number one Novak Djokovic has progressed into the third round of the Cincinnati Open with a straight-sets win over Benoit Paire tonight.
The Serbian secured a 7-5 6-2 victory over his French counterpart in 100 minutes to set up a meeting with Belgium's David Goffin in the next round.
Paire - ranked 42nd in the world - kept pace with Djokovic and threatened a first-set upset when he broke his serve to move 4-3 ahead.
However, Djokovic responded in kind by breaking back instantly, before pulling out another in the 12th game to clinch an evenly-matched opening set.
Nevertheless, the 28-year-old, who has won all three Grand Slams so far this year, cranked it up a notch in the second set by breaking Paire's serve on three occasions to advance into the third round.
Shane Callaghan
