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Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic have made a winning start to their Paris Masters doubles campaign. Djokovic and Kecmanovic, who were drawn to meet Jannik Sinner and Stan Wawrinka in the Paris doubles first round, ended up meeting Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov after Sinner and Wawrinka pulled out of the tournament.
However, Djokovic and Kecmanovic weren't distracted by the change as they easily beat Escobar and Nedovyesov 6-4 6-2. For Djokovic, 36, and 24-year-old Kecmanovic, it was their first match as a pair and also their first win together.
In the next round, Djokovic and Kecmanovic will be taking on Rohan Bopanna and Matt Ebden.
How Djokovic and Kecmanovic defeated Escobar and Nedovyesov?
Djokovic and Kecmanovic got off to a great start to the match, earning the first break of the match in the very first game of the match.
In the third game, Djokovic and Kecmanovic had a chance to go up by a double break but Escobar and Nedovyesov saved two break points to cut the deficit to 1-2. Djokovic and Kecmanovic still got their second break in the fifth game for a 4-1 lead before Escobar and Nedovyesov got one break back in the following game to again cut the deficit to just one break.
After blowing one break, Djokovic and Kecmanovic held on to their second break to clinch the first set. Then, the second set started just as the first set as Djokovic and Kecmanovic opened an early 2-0 lead. Djokovic and Kecmanovic missed out on four break points in the third game but also saved two break points in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead.
In the fifth game, Djokovic and Kecmanovic earned their second break of the second set for a 4-1 lead. Up by two breaks, Djokovic and Kecmanovic held on to their service for the remainder of the match to complete a two-set win.
After making a winning start in the Paris doubles tournament, Djokovic will be looking to do the same when he kicks off his Paris Masters singles campaign on Wednesday. Djokovic, who had a first-round bye in the Paris singles event, will be starting his campaign by meeting Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round.