INDIAN WELLS – Top seed Novak Djokovic continued his domination over Kevin Anderson, rolling over the South African 6-2, 6-3 in the third round of the ATP/WTA Indian Wells tournament.
Novak Djokovic. AP FILE PHOTO
The world number one Djokovic advances to the fourth round where he will play a Spaniard Pablo Andujar who beat Albert Ramos 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
“It was close,” Djokovic said Monday. “The score doesn’t indicate how close it was. I played him a couple of times before, and in most of our matches the first set goes for a half hour or more,” he said. “I returned well that was the key.”
Defending champion Djokovic has now beaten Anderson four straight times, including three matches in 2011.
Djokovic had five aces, was a perfect three-for-three on break points saved and won 67 percent of his first-serve points in the 97-minute match on Monday.
Anderson hammered seven aces but converted just half of his six break point chances in the 97-minute match.
“At the start we had a couple of long games,” Djokovic said. “He’s aggressive on the returns and has a great serve. I had to be patient and wait for my chances.”
Djokovic broke Anderson twice in the first set and once in the second to go up 4-2. He celebrated his victory in the ninth game of the second set when Anderson smacked a forehand wide on the first match point.