He managed to do just that, completing the match without facing a break point. Just two days after Djokovic’s forehand seemed to fail him – spraying errors all over the court against Popyrin – the world No. 1 put on a masterclass, firing down 10 more winners in the second set as he broke Etcheverry twice to lead 6-3 6-3.
Djokovic received a time violation while serving at 1-1 in the third set, running down the shot clock. It was his only real disturbance in the match, and Nick Kyrgios wasn’t happy with the call on commentary, branding the decision “ridiculous”. The top seed held Etcheverry off as the 24-year-old started to step it up, getting to deuce on Djokovic’s serve for the first time in the match.
But he was unable to create a break point opportunity as Djokovic won a 14-shot rally to stay ahead, running his opponent side-to-side as the Argentine painted the lines before dumping the ball in the net. Etcheverry kept himself alive when serving to stay in the match twice, forcing a tiebreak which started with a thrilling 25-shot rally won by Djokovic.
