While Wawrinka has spent just shy of eight hours on court across his opening two matches, fourth seed Djokovic has taken a more direct route as he aims to conserve energy in his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
The 38-year-old from Serbia only dropped seven games in a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Maestrelli.
He beat Spain’s Pedro Martinez by the same score on Monday, marking the first time he has not dropped a set in the first two round at Melbourne Park since 2023.
“I didn’t know much about him until a few days ago – it happens more often than not these days,” Djokovic said of world number 141 Maestrelli.
“The respect is always there and I didn’t underestimate him. He’s got a big serve and a big game, only lacking a bit of experience.
“He’s got the game to go far and high in the world rankings and I wish him that.”
Croatia’s Cilic was similarly brisk against Canadian Shapovalov, winning 6-4 6-3 6-2 in a little over two hours.
Though below his best with his five aces matched by five double faults and a first-serve percentage of 56%, the 2018 finalist proved clinical in the big moments, converting six of his 12 break points and saving four of the six he faced.
He was also aided by an error-strewn outing from Shapovalov, who produced 42 unforced errors to Cilic’s 24 to extend his run without reaching the second week of a major to nine tournaments.
Cilic will face 12th seed Casper Ruud or Spain’s Jaume Munar in round three, while Djokovic faces 30-year-old Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
