20 wins in 20 meetings, Djokovic eliminates Monfils in the last 16 at Brisbane

Gaël Monfils' first victory over Novak Djokovic will have to wait.

The Frenchman, who defeated Nishesh Basavareddy in his Brisbane opener, saw the level of play rise several notches higher in the Round of 16.

Novak Djokovic stood in the 38-year-old's way, and Monfils had never beaten him in 19 previous encounters.

Despite some fine points, Gaël Monfils couldn't really match the Serb, who conceded just one break point throughout the match.

Djokovic was more consistent in the rallies, winning 6-3, 6-3 in 1h12 to maintain his unbeaten record against one of his favorite prey.

This is the 20th consecutive victory for the man with 24 Grand Slams against Monfils, in what is the most lopsided face-off of the Open era.

Indeed, no player before him had ever won 20 matches against the same player without conceding a single defeat.

With this victory, Djokovic reached his 217th career quarter-final on the ATP circuit, equalling Ivan Lendl in fourth place.

The record is held by Jimmy Connors (276), ahead of Roger Federer (245) and Rafael Nadal (226). In his next round, he will face Reilly Opelka.