Djokovic overcomes injury scare, defeats Viñolas at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Saturday overcame an injury scare to defeat Spain's Albert Ramos Viñolas 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open.

Six-time Australian Open champion Djokovic won despite needing a medical timeout to massage his lower back and left hip after the third game of the second set, reports Efe.

"I knew coming into the match that Albert is a great fighter. He grinds, he gets a lot of balls back," Djokovic said after the win.

Djokovic clinched the first set thanks to two breaks out of eight opportunities, displaying his recovery from an elbow injury that ended his 2017 season in July.

It took Djokovic two hours and 21 minutes to earn his fifth win over Viñolas in as many career matches.

After the injury timeout, Djokovic went on to break his rival's next serve, getting a 4-1 advantage that he built on to seal the second set against Viñolas, who was making his first appearance in the Australian Open third round.

Viñolas then tried to step up his defence and force Djokovic to work for each point, but his new strategy failed against the former world No. 1, who made the most of two out of three break points to seal the victory.

Seeking a record seventh title in Melbourne, Djokovic is set to take on Chung Hyeon of South Korea, who stunned Germany's Alexander Zverev 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.

--IANS

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