Novak Djokovic claimed another slice of history on Sunday. The World No. 1 became the first player to clinch 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, downing third seed Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Djokovic needed one hour and 23 minutes to secure his seventh crown of the year and fourth at the Masters 1000 level, adding to victories in Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid. The Serbian, who takes home $782,525 in prize money and 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points, moved into solo second on the Open Era titles list at the Rogers Cup, adding to victories in 2007 and 2011-12. Only six-time champion Ivan Lendl owns more singles trophies in Canada.

"My two best performances came in the semi-finals and the final," said Djokovic. "It came at the right moment for me.

"It's a process like any other that has happened many times in my career, where I would start a tournament still feeling a little bit uncomfortable on the court and searching for my rhythm, and then, as the tournament goes on, I find that proper comfort level with shots, with the way I feel, with my mental attitude." 

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Title Leaders

The dominance by the Big Four in Masters 1000 events continued on Sunday, with Djokovic extending the title streak to 19 straight events. As he does so efficiently, the top seed dictated throughout the encounter, forcing Nishikori into uncomfortable patterns of play. The Japanese struck 28 unforced errors, while conceding three breaks to the World No. 1.

Djokovic extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead to 10-2 over Nishikori, earning his ninth straight victory in the rivalry. His 66th tour-level crown moves him closer to overtaking Rafael Nadal (69) for fifth on the Open Era titles list.

Nishikori, meanwhile, fell to 0-3 in Masters 1000 finals. He most recently fell to Djokovic in the Miami title match in April. The World No. 6, who earns $383,690 and 600 Emirates ATP Rankings points, had snapped a 16-match losing streak against Top 5 opponents with a semi-final win over Stan Wawrinka on Saturday. He was appearing in his 19th tour-level final (11-8) overall.

"Today I think he stepped it up," said Nishikori. "He raised his level a lot from these past couple days. He played really deep, and he didn't give me any free points. He was especially serving really well, so I didn't have many chances for my return game. I was really feeling the pressure every game.

"I think I need more experience in these kind of matches, but this is a great week even though I lost to Novak. It was the second time this year in the final of a Masters 1000. I think I'm getting closer and closer. I hope I can get a title as soon as possible." 

Rogers Cup Title Leaders (Open Era)