KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Novak Djokovic took a nasty spill during a tight first set but then pulled away and beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-1 Sunday in the third round at the Miami Open.
Djokovic slipped and fell on his left side behind the baseline as he hit a running forehand into the net to lose serve, making the score 4-all. But he rose unhurt and soon took charge of the match, losing only 11 points in the final eight games.
"The first set was very close," Djokovic said. "It could have gone either way. I played well in the right moments."
Seeded No. 1, Djokovic is bidding for his sixth Key Biscayne championship, which would tie Andre Agassi’s men’s record. Serena Williams is seeking her ninth title.
Djokovic improved to 24-1 this year, and he’s 38-5 lifetime at Key Biscayne.
Sousa, seeded 33rd, has lost 19 matches in a row when playing top-10 opponents.
Lucky loser Horacio Zeballos of Argentina reached the fourth round by saving a match point and beating Fernandez Verdasco 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Zeballos’ wife is back in Argentina monitoring his matches while awaiting the birth of their child due April 10.
"During the third set, all of a sudden I started thinking, ‘I hope she’s not nervous,"’ Zeballos said in Spanish. "It was crazy for me to be having those thoughts during the match. I am having a great time here, but I also want the baby to be born already and experience that moment of becoming a father. Hoping she can hang on a few more days."
Zeballos said he will pull out of the tournament if his child is born. He lost in qualifying but made the draw when Roger Federer withdrew because of a stomach virus.
On the women’s side, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka overcame five double-faults and held every service game to beat qualifier Magda Linette 6-3, 6-0. Azarenka, seeded 13th, moved into the fourth round and is bidding to become only the third woman to win Indian Wells and Miami back to back.
Floridian Madison Keys, seeded No. 22, reached the round of 16 for the first time in seven tournament appearances by beating No. 9 Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-4. Keys won 19 of 21 points at the net.
No. 2 Angelique Kerber rallied past qualifier Kiki Bertens, who retired trailing 1-6, 6-2, 3-0.
In other men’s play, No. 7 Tomas Berdych erased all 10 break points he faced and defeated American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3. Johnson, seeded 31st, fell to 0-13 against top-10 opponents.
Richard Gasquet, seeded 10th, eliminated No. 20 Benoit Paire in an all-French matchup, 6-3, 6-0. No. 14 Dominic Thiem advanced to the round of 16 against Djokovic by beating qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2.