Djokovic, Del Potro Set Up Round of 32 Showdown in Indian Wells

March 13, 2017 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff

World number two and five-time BNP Paribas Open champion Novak Djokovic moved past Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund on Sunday  with a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory, advancing through to the final 32 in Indian Wells and into a matchup with 31st seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.

“I think I played very well in the first set. Second set was obviously up and down,” said Djokovic. “But credit to Kyle for playing some really aggressive tennis and taking it all out. He made a lot of winners in the beginning and midway through the second. There was not much wrong that I did. I did miss some forehands. But other than that, it was a very solid match. Good, quality tennis, a good test. I’m just pleased with the overall performance.”

Edmund actually had a chance to serve for the second set at 5-3, but Djokovic won three of the next four games to force the set into a tiebreaker, and would pull out the straight set win.

It sets up a matchup with del Potro, the 17th meeting between the two. Del Potro moved past his compatriot Federico Delbonis 7-6(5), 6-3 to advance on Sunday.

“I’m playing Del Potro now. I have to give it all,” said Djokovic. “I can’t really pace myself and think about what’s coming up after that, because I really have a tough player to beat in the next round.”

Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both looked sharp in their second round contests on Sunday. Federer needed just 51 minutes to move past a man one year his senior, 36-year old Stephane Robert, 6-2, 6-1.

The 35-year old Swiss will take on 24th seeded American Steve Johnson next. Johnson hung on to defeat Kevin Anderson 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4.

Nadal rolled past Guido Pella 6-3, 6-2 in a battle of left-handed players, and he moves on to play another left-hander in Fernando Verdasco, his fellow Spaniard. Nadal is 15-3 all-time against Verdasco.

American teenager Taylor Fritz came back from a set down to defeat sixth-seed and former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. He will play Tunisia’s Malej Jaziri, who upset 32nd ranked Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday.

In another upset, Donald Young took out fellow American and recent Acapulco champion Sam Querrey 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Young converted on both of his break point chances, one in the first set and the other in the third set, to pull off the upset and set up a third-round match against 14th seeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who rolled past Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-2.

Jack Sock and Grigor Dimitrov set up an exciting Round of 32 matchup as each won their respective second-round contest on Wednesday. Sock bounced back from a rough second set to down Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, while Dimitrov cruised past Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-0.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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