World number one Novak Djokovic has eased into the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters with a 6-3 6-3 straight-sets win over Fabio Fognini.
The Serbian pro's position as the world's best player has come under threat of late due to Andy Murray's fine form, capped by victory at the China Open on Sunday.
Djokovic has struggled with injury problems and withdrew from that tournament, with this his first outing since suffering defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka in last month's US Open final.
It was plain sailing for the 29-year-old, who held throughout the opener and took the lead in the match with his third set point, before enduring a trickier second set.
Both players struggled to hold in the opening throes, but Fognini saw three games in succession go against him after levelling at 3-3 as Djokovic set up a potential meeting with Grigor Dimitrov in round three.
