Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov advance to Rome quarters

ROME: World number one Novak Djokovic won a battle with fellow Serb Filip Krajinovic to advance to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Friday.

The 33-year-old came through 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 and will play against Germany's Dominik Koepfer who beat Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-0.

The top seed is warming up on clay at the Foro Italico in Rome for the French Open in 10 days time, a tournament the 17-time Grand Slam winner claimed in 2016.

Djokovic -- unbeaten this season before being disqualified from the US Open -- double faulted on the first of his three set points in the first-set tiebreak but a quick break in the second put him through in a tournament he has won four times.

15th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov ended the run of Italian teenager Jannik Sinner by 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reached the last eight stage.

Dimitrov's quarterfinal opponent will be Denis Shapovalov, who rallied past Ugo Humbert 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4. Shapovalov, who reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals in singles and doubles, is aiming to do even better in both draws this week.

Matteo Berrettini, the big-serving Roman who reached last year's U.S. Open semifinals, beat Stefano Travaglia 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1). He'll next meet Casper Ruud, who defeated Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6 (6).

In the women's draw, top-seeded Simona Halep improved to 7-0 in tennis' restart after defeating Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 6-4.

Halep, who is actually on an 11-0 run overall stretching back to February, recovered an early break in the opening set and then overpowered her 29th-ranked opponent.

Halep, who lost two straight finals in Rome to Elina Svitolina in 2017 and 2018, will next face 10th-seeded Elena Rybakina, who overcame Yulia Putintseva 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka advanced when Daria Kasatkina retired injured at 6-6 in the first set after she got her right foot caught on a line and fell. Azarenka next plays Garbine Muguruza, who beat last year's finalist, Johanna Konta, 6-4, 6-1.

Also, defending champion Karolina Pliskova defeated Russian qualifier Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-3 and will next play Elise Mertens, who eliminated Montenegrin qualifier Danka Kovinic 6-4, 6-4. Agencies

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