|
The world number one fell on his left side while hitting a
forehand on the baseline and his shot went into the net to allow
Sousa to pull even at 4-4.
But Djokovic was not injured and he dusted himself off and won
eight out of the next nine games in a 77-minute match. The Serb
is vying to match Andre Agassi’s tournament record of six wins
in Key Biscayne.
"That first set came down to a few points," said Djokovic after
improving to 24-1 in 2016.
"After that, it was quite a good performance. In the second set
I felt much more comfortable. I was serving very well the entire
day.
"I'm glad that I managed to finish the match the way I did.
Obviously, it gives me confidence for the next one."
Djokovic landed 86 percent of first serves in the second set and
dropped only three points on serve.
He will meet Dominic Thiem in the next round after the Austrian
defeated Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2 6-2.
Argentine lucky loser Horacio Zeballos, who received a second
chance when Roger Federer withdrew because of a stomach virus,
continued to make the most of his good fortune. He rebounded to
beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 1-6 6-4 7-6(4).
(Reporting by Tim Wharnsby in Toronoto; Editing by Andrew Both)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
