Novak Djokovic moved one step closer to his breakthrough 100th ATP title with another dominant performance at the Shanghai Masters.

The 37-year-old Serb reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Russian Roman Safiullin.

Djokovic, who won his 99th title with Olympic gold in August, will face Czech teenager Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals.

The 24-time major champion wants to become only the third man after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to record a century of tournament victories.

Asked how he rated his performance against Safiullin out of 10, he said: “Very close to 10. The (last two games) are some of the best games I’ve played in a long time.”

In his first return to Shanghai since 2019, Djokovic admitted the prospect of winning a breakthrough title gave him “extra motivation” at the ATP 1,000 event.

Djokovic, a record four-time champion, has won more games at the event than any other player.

With a host of other top 10 players in the draw, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, there are undoubtedly tougher tests ahead.

But in his first ATP tournament since his surprise third-round exit at the US Open five weeks ago, fourth-seeded Djokovic made a strong impression.

He causes problems for opponents by serving with precision and overwhelming them in baseline transitions. He hasn’t lost a set against American youngster Alex Michelson, Italian world number 30, Flavio Cobolli and now Safiullin.

“I have fun on the court and when you play well you feel good, it’s a lot of joy to hit a tennis ball,” Djokovic added.

“These games and sensations are the reason why I still play.”

“I believe I can play at a high level and it’s important to maintain that consistency.”