Novak Djokovic, shown in a match earlier this year, ran his 2011 record to 29-0 in third-round action Thursday of the Madrid Open. That tied the record for most matches to open a season undefeated set by Ivan Lendl in 1986. UPI/David Silpa |
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MADRID, May 5 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic tied the ATP mark for undefeated record to open a year with a straight-set win Thursday at the Madrid Open tennis tournament.
Djokovic, No. 2 in the world rankings, ran his 2011 record to 29-0, matching Ivan Lendl's start in 1986, with a 6-1, 6-2 third-round romp over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. He'll go for the outright record in a quarterfinal match against sixth-seeded David Ferrer, who defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in Thursday's final match.
Djokovic needed only 51 minutes to finish off Garcia-Lopez. He lost a mere two points -- one in each set -- in eight service games and took 70 percent of the points overall in the match.
In 2011, Djokovic has won five tournaments, including the Australian Open.
World No. 3 Roger Federer beat Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-3. Federer had a tough second-round match, playing nearly 3 hours before prevailing, but handled Malisse in a more Federer-like 71 minutes. He finished off three of his six break-point chances.
Fifth-seeded Robin Soderling topped Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (10-8), 7-5 and earned a match versus Federer, against whom he is 1-15 lifetime.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal advanced when a highly anticipated match between Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro fell through. Del Potro said a hip injury left him unable to play.
Nadal draws Michael Llodra in the quarterfinals. Llodra was a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) winner over Daniel Gimeno-Traver Thursday.
Thomaz Bellucci had the upset of the day, knocking off No. 4-seeded Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2. He'll take on seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, a 7-5, 6-3 winner over Juan Monaco Thursday, in the quarters.
