Djokovic off to fast start

Doha - World number one Novak Djokovic polished off fellow Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-2 6-1 in the first round of the Qatar Open on Tuesday.

Making his first appearance at the hardcourt event as he cranks up his Australian Open build-up, Djokovic showed no sign of the illness that sidelined him at last week's Abu Dhabi exhibition event as he eased through to the second round.

Djokovic ended last year with back-to-back titles and nothing in a 57-minute demolition of Lajovic suggested he will be any less of a force this year.

Lajovic briefly made a match of it in the opening set but was powerless to stop an eight-game streak for the ruthless Djokovic who displayed his trademark clinical precision.

Top seed Djokovic, who will bid for a fifth Australian Open title later this month, faces Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky next.

Other first round results reported by AFP:

Tomas Berdych (CZEx3) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-1, 6-4

Blaz Kavcic (SLO) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 7-6(7-3), 6-4

Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) bt Jabor Ali Mutawa (QAT) 6-1, 6-1

Nikoloz Basilashvili(GEO) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 7-5,6-2

Michael Berrer (GER) bt Rafael Nadal (ESPx2) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARGx8) 5-7, 7-6(7-4), 7-6(7-4)

Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) Philipp Kohlschreiber (GERx5) 7-6(7-3), 4-6, 6-1