MIAMI: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic cruised into the fourth round of the Miami ATP Masters and WTA tournament yesterday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over India’s Somdev Devvarman.
Djokovic remained on course for a third straight title on the hard courts of Key Biscayne -- a fourth overall -- and will battle German veteran Tommy Haas for a place in the quarter-finals.
The 25-year-old Serbian, who won the title in 2007, 2011 and 2012, had little trouble against Devvarman, who has fallen to 254th in the world after a near-seven month absence last season with a shoulder injury.
Djokovic, who saw a 22-match winning streak halted in the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week, hasn’t lost to a player outside the top 100 since 2010.
Devvarman never looked like reversing that trend against the Serbian, who has reached the final in Miami every time he has made it past the second round.
“Considering the wind, it was a nice day,” Djokovic said.
In other men’s action, third-seeded David Ferrer of Spain continued his dominance of Italian Fabio Fognini with a 6-1, 7-5 victory.
In the late match, Austria’s Jurgen Melzer rallied to beat Tobias Kamke 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4.
Ferrer broke Fognini four times en route to the victory in 79 minutes. It was his third win over the Italian this season and his sixth in six career meetings.
Ferrer, winner of two titles already this season, was playing his first match of the tournament after advancing to the third round on a walkover when his scheduled opponent Dmitry Tursunov of Russia withdrew.
The 30-year-old Spaniard will battle for a quarter-final berth against 13th-seeded Nishikori, a 6-2, 7-5 winner over Belgian Xavier Malisse.
Haas, the 15th seed, set up his shot at Djokovic with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Seventh-seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic also advanced, beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-0. Tipsarevic will face France’s 11th-seeded Gilles Simon, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Slovenia’s Grega Zemlja, for a quarter-final slot.
Women’s third seed Maria Sharapova, seeking a first Miami title after four runner-up finishes, defeated fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-2.
In the late women’s matches, Ana Ivanovic, of Serbia, surprised Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-3 and eighth seeded Sara Errani, of Italy, steamrolled Simona Halep 6-1, 6-0.
In other women’s matches, Romania’s Soran Cirstea upset sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-0, and Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, a former world No. 1, ousted 11th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova 7-6 (9/7), 6-4.
AFP
