Djokovic, Del Potro, Nadal all move into Rome quarterfinals
ROME - Four-time champion Novak Djokovic beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 Thursday to ease into the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
Djokovic seemed in full control when he went 3-1 up in the second set but allowed the Spaniard to fight back to 4-4 before going on to seal the match.
Bautista Agut could have gone 5-4 up in the second set after Djokovic appeared to send the ball long but the umpire said it was in. Television replays showed the ball was out.
Instead it was Djokovic who broke to take a 5-4 lead and won the match when he had a forehand ruled in.
Djokovic next faces Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Kei Nishikori 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka went out of the tournament after losing 7-6 (1), 6-4 to American John Isner, who served up 19 aces in their match.
Isner grabbed the only break of the match at 3-3 in the second set before comfortably serving out the match on his first attempt after Wawrinka had saved two match points on his serve.
Isner next faces another big server in sixth-seeded Marin Cilic, who dismissed ninth-seeded David Goffin 6-3, 6-4.
Jack Sock was hoping to pull off an even bigger shock than fellow American Isner when he took on Rafael Nadal, but Nadal prevailed 6-3, 6-4.
Home favorite Fabio Fognini, who saw off Andy Murray on Tuesday, lost 6-3, 6-3 to Alexander Zverev, who will play fifth-seeded Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals after the Canadian beat Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2.
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