Novak is through to the QFs of the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in 2012.
The world no.1 beat Pablo Andujar in three sets 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-2 and moved into the last eight at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Nole produced a brilliant display in the opening set. He raced through it with a triple break, for 6-0 in just 27 minutes.
The unseeded Spaniard has put up a great fight after being bagelled.
Second set was very competitive as Andujar raised the level of his game significantly. He earned himself seven break point opportunities, but failed to convert any. The set went into a tie-breaker. At 3-3, no.45-ranked Cuenca native won three points in a row. Novak made two mini-breaks to get close to 5-6, but the Spaniard took the set with a forehand down the line.
Defending champion broke immediately at the start of the decisive third set and seized the initiative. He made another break in the seventh game and served out the set and match 6-2.
“It’s a fourth-round match and my opponent today is a really quality player who deserves to be at this stage of the tournament,” Nole said in a courtside interview. “In the end, I was lucky to get through some points. I am happy to get through to the next round.”
Match statistics: aces (4-1), double faults (0-4), winners (28-19), unforced errors (28-29), break point conversion (5/5 – 0/8), total points won (102-78).
Djokovic goes into the quarter-finals with a 25-4 match record in IW, and 13-1 on the season.
He next faces world no.12, Spain’s Nicolas Almagro, who upset seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0.
The 24-year-old Serbian star has defeated Almagro in their two previous meetings, the last was in the round of 16 at last year’s Australian Open (6-3, 6-4, 6-0).
