SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic cruised through his first match of the Shanghai Masters Cup yesterday, swatting away Juan Martin Potro in straight sets to teach the young debutant an important lesson about how experience counts.

The charismatic Serb showed his sophistication and justified his credentials as world No 3 by taming the 20-year-old Argentine 7-5, 6-3 in under two hours at the season-ending tournament.

"I think I used maybe a little bit of my experience. I was waiting for my opportunities and I knew that I would have them sooner or later," said the 21-year-old who has already racked up three titles this year including a key win at the Australian Open.