Tennis

Djokovic brushes past Tomic in Miami opener

World number one Novak Djokovic retained his perfect record over Bernard Tomic, advancing at the Miami Open.

Dejan Kalinic
23 March, 2019 09:05 IST

Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the Miami Open.   -  Getty Images

Dejan Kalinic
23 March, 2019 09:05 IST

Novak Djokovic made a strong start to his bid for a seventh Miami Open title with a straight-sets win over Bernard Tomic on Friday.

The world number one, a shock loser in the last 32 at Indian Wells, was too good for Tomic 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 in the second round. Djokovic is a six-time champion in Miami, the most by a man alongside Andre Agassi.

The Serbian also improved to a 6-0 win-loss record over Tomic, who last won a set against Djokovic in their first meeting in 2011.

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Djokovic fell behind a break in the first set after needing brief treatment on what appeared to be a cut on his left hand. But Tomic was unable to consolidate and there was no looking back for Djokovic, who proved too strong in an important first-set tie-break.

An early break in the second set was ideal for Djokovic, the 15-time grand slam champion finishing with 23 winners and 14 unforced errors in a strong performance.

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