Novak Djokovic was dragged into a dour mid-match scrap by Ivan Dodig, but pounded the dogged Croat in the last two sets to win 7-5 6-7 6-0 6-2 and reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
After conceding the first set, Dodig battled like a streetfighter in the second, winning back a break and pushing Djokovic into a tense tiebreak where he unleashed a withering roar after clinching it on the third set point.
The jubilation was to prove short-lived, however, as Djokovic broke serve in the next game, then mowed through the next seven.
Dodig battled hard to prise a breakpoint at 4-1 but 2008 champion Djokovic slammed the door shut with a searing forehand winner down the line and later sealed the second of two match points with a thumping serve.
After conceding the first set, Dodig battled like a streetfighter in the second, winning back a break and pushing Djokovic into a tense tiebreak where he unleashed a withering roar after clinching it on the third set point.
The jubilation was to prove short-lived, however, as Djokovic broke serve in the next game, then mowed through the next seven.
Dodig battled hard to prise a breakpoint at 4-1 but 2008 champion Djokovic slammed the door shut with a searing forehand winner down the line and later sealed the second of two match points with a thumping serve.
Former Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic turned what loomed as a dogfight into a runaway second round victory at Melbourne Park on Wednesday night.
The Serbian world No.3 defeated Croatia's Ivan Dodig 7-5 6-7 (8-10) 6-0 6-2.
The first two sets each lasted more than an hour, as world No.81 Dodig looked set to make world No.3 and 2008 Open champion Djokovic battle all the way for a berth in the third round.
Dodig showed plenty of grit, and had a bit of luck, in the tense second set tiebreaker. He saved a set point, then clinched the set with the help of a shot which clipped the net on the way over.
With the match level at a set apiece and having already stretched well past the two-hour mark, the pair looked headed for a long battle.
But Djokovic found his groove to reel off 12 of the next 14 games to the delight of a vocal band of supporters, racing through the third set in 28 minutes and clearly in control as he cruised through the fourth.
Djokovic will next play fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in the third round, after the 29th seed beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-2 1-6 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
Ninemsn
The Serbian world No.3 defeated Croatia's Ivan Dodig 7-5 6-7 (8-10) 6-0 6-2.
The first two sets each lasted more than an hour, as world No.81 Dodig looked set to make world No.3 and 2008 Open champion Djokovic battle all the way for a berth in the third round.
Dodig showed plenty of grit, and had a bit of luck, in the tense second set tiebreaker. He saved a set point, then clinched the set with the help of a shot which clipped the net on the way over.
With the match level at a set apiece and having already stretched well past the two-hour mark, the pair looked headed for a long battle.
But Djokovic found his groove to reel off 12 of the next 14 games to the delight of a vocal band of supporters, racing through the third set in 28 minutes and clearly in control as he cruised through the fourth.
Djokovic will next play fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in the third round, after the 29th seed beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-2 1-6 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
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