World No 1 Djokovic bags 50th victory as he breezes past Cilic

Novak Djokovic continued to settle into his new role as world No 1 with a business-like 7-5 6-2 third round win over Croatian Marin Cilic at the Montreal Masters yesterday, extending his season record to a spectacular 50-1.

Making his competitive debut as No 1 in Montreal, Djokovic said the position carries added pressure and responsibility but instead of wilting under the weight of expectation the Serb has embraced his elite status with vigour.

Djokovic's third round performance was more functional than flash as he tamed the big-hitting Cilic with a combination of solid tactics and groundstrokes on a blustery centre court.

He faced just three break points the entire match and saved them all while breaking Cilic on three occasions, including to end both sets.

"You got to keep smiling," Djokovic said afterwards. "It wasn't really a beautiful match to play and to watch.

"But I guess in the right moments I was trying to keep the ball into the court, make my opponent make an unforced error."