Djokovic beats Kovacevic to reach Indian Wells last 16

INDIAN WELLS: Third seed Novak Djokovic recovered from a second-set lapse to defeat American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 on Monday, reaching the last 16 at Indian Wells for the first time since 2017.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who has claimed a record-equalling five titles at the California desert event, needed two hours and two minutes to overcome the American, who produced a strong challenge with his one-handed backhand.

Djokovic praised his opponent’s performance, highlighting his talent and solid serving.

“Great performance from Alex,” Djokovic said. “We know each other, we speak the same language, obviously, his whole family is Serbian. He’s one of the best talents we have out there, particularly, one-handed backhand and, you know, it’s very rare nowadays, and he’s played a great tournament so far.

“Today I knew if he serves well and if he picks his spot in the box, it’s going to be hard to break. That’s what happened, actually. I mean, he was serving extremely well,” the 38-year-old Czech added.

Djokovic will face defending champion Jack Draper next, after the Briton defeated 19th seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5. Draper’s commanding form in the first set helped him withstand a stiffer challenge in the second.

On the women’s side, Katerina Siniakova produced the day’s biggest shock, defeating Russian eighth seed and defending champion Mirra Andreeva 4-6 7-6(5) 6-3. The tournament continues to deliver thrilling matches and major upsets as top seeds clash with emerging talents in the California desert. Sports Desk