Novak Djokovic had to work hard against Mikhail Kukushkin. This was quite unexpected also because the world no.1 didn’t concede a single set for the last 6 matches playing guys such as Berdych, Murray and Dimitrov.
After winning the first set 6-3 in just 31 minutes, Nole was supposed to cruise in the second set, but Kukushkin started in great fashion to immediately break the Serbian a lead 3-0. Djokovic couldn’t do much and the match went to the decider.
In the third set, Kukushkin lost his serve in the 5th game (3-2) and that was decisive to give the win to the world no.1. The final result was 6-3 4-6 6-4. Match Stats.
Some numbers
There was not much separating Djokovic from his opponent. Eventually the Serbian scored just 7 points more than Mikhail (93-86). Djokovic fired 13 aces vs. Kukushkin’s 9. Match Stats.
Next vs. Ferrer
Djokovic will play David Ferrer in the quarters. Head to head is 12-5 for Nole that he is still worried by David “We all know how competitive David is. To beat Murray is a big win for him. So I’m sure that he’s confident. It’s always tough. You have to earn for your points. He runs. He’s been one of the toughest competitors around for so many years. I expect another exhausting match.”
