World No 1 Novak Djokovic won a battle with fellow Serb Filip Krajinovic to advance to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Friday.
The 33-year-old came through 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 and next plays either Italian Lorenzo Musetti or Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, who both came through the qualifying rounds.
Djokovic through to Italian Open third round
Nadal returns, Djokovic looking for redemption in Rome
The top seed is warming up on clay at the Foro Italico in Rome for the French Open in 10 days time, a tournament the 17-time Grand Slam winner claimed in 2016.
Djokovic – unbeaten this season before being disqualified from the US Open – double faulted on the first of his three set points in the first-set tiebreak but a quick break in the second put him through in a tournament he has won four times.
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