Novak Djokovic Defeats Julien Benneteau to Advance at 2012 US Open

Defending U.S. Open tennis champion Novak Djokovic defeated No. 31-seeded Julien Benneteau in the third round of the men's singles draw on Sunday, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic was a man on a mission, serving up 13 aces and crushing home 41 winners in the straight-set victory.

Benneteau was ranked 35th in the world coming into Sunday's match, while Djokovic is currently the second-ranked men's player in the ATP rankings. 

The No. 2 seed behind Roger Federer on the men's side, Djokovic has now cruised through the tournament's first three rounds, hardly breaking a sweat en route to winning nine consecutive sets.

The 25-year-old Serbian will wait to play the winner of No. 18 Stanislas Wawrinka vs. No. 14 Alexandr Dolgopolov in the men's Round of 16, which is scheduled to begin on Monday.

Djokovic's win on Sunday, though, means that he will advance to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open for the sixth consecutive year. He has reached at least the semifinals at Flushing Meadows every year dating back to 2007. And certainly looks like a favorite to get back there in 2012.

Djokovic runs his career U.S. Open singles record to 36-6 with the victory—a winning percentage slightly higher than 85.7 percent.

Benneteau has never been past the third round at Flushing Meadows, falling in his third match at the Grand Slam tournament for the second straight year. 

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