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Novak Djokovic reached the quarterfinals at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati with a comfortable 7-5, 6-3 win over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Djokovic made a break already in the second game of the match but the Frenchman broke back immediately and then equalised the score to 2-2. World number four faced two break points in the seventh game, but saved them both, and later managed to break his opponent’s service once again, using his second break/set point in the 12th game for 7-5.
The Serb continued in the same rhythm at the beginning of the second set, and soon had a 3-0 lead. Chardy broke Djokovic’s service in the fifth game, but Nole made another break and then held to increase his lead to 5-2. The Frenchman pushed Nole to deuce in the ninth game, but no.4 seed raised the level of his game when he needed it, and closed the set and the match, 6-3.
Novak will play against no.9 seed Gilles Simon in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Frenchman defeated eight-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-7(6) 6-4 6-4 in 2 hours and 25 minutes.
