29. 04. 2010. ·
No.2 seed and 2008 champion Novak Djokovic beat world no.28 Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 27 minutes to reach the quarter-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
Bellucci took the lead in the first set when he broke Novak’s serve in the fifth game, but he handed Djokovic the immediate break back to 30 with consecutive forehands hit long of the baseline.
The Brazilian was serving to stay in the set in the tenth game when Nole earned himself three set points with a stunning backhand winner down the line. Belluci saved one, but double faulted on the second and Djokovic took the first set after 42 minutes.
Novak made a double fault before hitting a forehand long down the line to hand Bellucci an easy break in the very first game of the second set. The 22-year-old Serb earned a break point in the fourth game but the Brazilian saved it with an ace. Djokovic broke back in the sixth game to level the result to 3-3, and broke his opponent’s service once again till the end of the match to take it 6-4.
Nole next faces no.6 seed Fernando Verdasco who defeated his fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 7-6(2).
It will be their ninth match, Nole leads 5-3. Verdasco won their last clash in semi-finals of Monte-Carlo two weeks ago.
