Novak Djokovic Defeats Ryan Harrison At 2013 Australian Open

Two-time defending Australian Open men's champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the 2013 Australian Open on Day 3, defeating American Ryan Harrison in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

Djokovic is the No. 1 seed in the men's draw and will take on Radek Stepanek next in the third round.

For the 25-year-old Serbian star, the win runs his Australian Open career singles record to 34-5 and signals the seventh straight year that he has reached at least the third round of the year's first Slam.

For the 20-year-old Harrison, 2013 marks his deepest run at the Aussie Open. He had fallen in the first round in his previous three trips to Melbourne Park.

Djokovic is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament for a record third consecutive year in 2013. No men's player since the Open era began in 1968 has won more than two straight Australian Opens. Australian Roy Emerson, who won five straight Aussie titles from 1963 to 1967 before the Open era began, owns the current record of consecutive wins on the men's side.

PaddyPower.com has Djokovic's odds of winning in 2013 at 10/11.

The overall top seed's odds have no doubt been increased by the fact that he wouldn't have to face fellow men's contenders Roger Federer or Andy Murray until the tournament final, as both Federer and Murray are on the opposite side of the draw.

In addition to avoiding a tough semifinal, Djokovic won't have to worry about facing Rafael Nadal in a potential final rematch, as the Spaniard is out of this year's tournament because of a stomach virus.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke.