Indian Wells (US), March 11: Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic was put to the test by rising American Aleksandar Kovacevic, but the five-time champion relied on his grace under pressure to oust the World No. 72 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to book his place in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open.
It is the second consecutive match this week in which Djokovic has need three sets, having battled through a tough opener against Kamil Majchrzak to begin his campaign.
By reaching his 113th round of 16 at Masters 1000 events, Djokovic passes Rafael Nadal and sits alone atop the all-time list. He is into the fourth round at Indian Wells for the first time since 2017 and will face defending champion Jack Draper next.
2021 champion Cameron Norrie earned his 13th career Top 10 win — and second in the California desert — by defeating Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 in Stadium 3. The British southpaw improves to 3-2 against No. 6-ranked De Minaur and will face either Alexander Bublik or Rinky Hijikata next.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz staged a strong comeback to defeat France’s Arthur Rinderknech and moved into the next round, overcoming an early setback to secure a 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2 victory.
The Spaniard faced a tough challenge early in the contest, dropping the opening set and falling behind by a break in the second as Rinderknech’s powerful serve and aggressive approach put him under sustained pressure.
Alcaraz also overcame a brief scare when he appeared to twist his ankle early in the second set. Although the moment raised concerns, the top seed showed no lasting effects as he closed out the match strongly.
The win not only extended Alcaraz’s unbeaten start to the season, following title triumphs at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open in Doha, but also marked his 32nd consecutive victory on outdoor hard courts, a run stretching back to the Miami Open last year.
Alcaraz will next face Casper Ruud in the round of 16.
The Norwegian, seeded 13th, also fought back from a set down to defeat Valentin Vacherot 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.
In another result, Daniil Medvedev wrapped up the men’s evening session with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 win over Sebastian Baez on Stadium 2.
Two-time champion Iga Swiatek registered a 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 32 seed Maria Sakkari to reach fourth round.
Swiatek became the first woman to advance to the Round of 16 for six consecutive years at Indian Wells since Agnieszka Radwanska and Carolina Wozniacki between 2008-2014.
Since the format’s introduction in 2009, Swiatek (129-31, .806) trails only Serena Williams (148-28, .841) for winning percentage at WTA-1000 events — minimum 10 matches, according to WTA.
On the other hand, American Jessica Pegula came back from one-set deficit against former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, to advance to the round of 16 with 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.