World No.2 Novak Djokovic has defeated Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund 6-4 7-6 in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event. It was the defending champion’s first match at this year’s tournament (he received a first round bye), and sets up an encounter with Juan Martin del Potro in third round, after the Argentine was a winner against Federico Delbonis.
Djokovic got off to a good start, securing an early break against the Edmund serve, and led 4-2 in the first set. The first set then followed serve as Djokovic eased through his own service games without facing any break points.
The second set was a much closer affair, as Edmund twice took the lead. Using his powerful forehand to good effect, Edmund was able to move Djokovic off the court and was rewarded with the first break for 3-1. Djokovic managed to draw errors from Edmund by forcing longer rallies, notably targeting the Briton’s backhand. The Serbian star retrieved the break, but was immediately broken again as the relentless forehands from Edmund again gave him the lead. An untimely double fault in the next game from Edmund brought Djokovic level again, and both men would then hold for a tiebreak.
Djokovic took an early lead, but Edmund went into the change of ends level after picking Djokovic off at the net. Djokovic’s overall consistency and his ability to pin Edmund in his weaker backhand corner began to tell, and the Serbian eventually sealed a close straight sets win.
Djokovic’s third round match with Juan Martin del Potro is easily one of the fixtures most fans will desire to see. The two have a history of producing stunning matches, including at the Shanghai Masters, and a memorable Wimbledon semi-final from 2013. They also met in the 2016 Olympics, a match which del Potro won en route to the silver medal, and they met in Acapulco last week, where Djokovic won despite being down a break late in the third set.
Djokovic is the three-time defending champion in Indian Wells, having defeated Roger Federer in 2014/2015, and Milos Raonic in 2016. The Serbian has won the title four times overall as he also won the event in 2008 when he defeated Mardy Fish.
In other matches, Steve Johnson edged Kevin Anderson to level their head-to-head at 4-4. The American came through the match 6-4, 3-6, 7-6.
