Novak Djokovic faced Grigor Dimitrov in the Indian Wells third round in 2013. The Serb defeated the Bulgarian to advance into the last 16 and improve his score at the start of the season to 15-0! Novak made a perfect start to the season, conquering the Australian Open and Dubai and heading to Indian Wells with a 13-0. Djokovic defeated Fabio Fognini in the second round and set an entertaining encounter against Grigor Dimitrov. The Serb beat the Bulgarian 7-6, 6-1 in 68 minutes for a place in the last 16 and his 18th victory in a row. Novak played better on the first and second serve, fending off one out of two break chances and forcing Grigor to follow those numbers if he wanted to stay in touch. Dimitrov was ready to follow Djokovic’s pace in the first set before the Serb wrapped up the second in no time to stay on the title course. Grigor held at love in the encounter’s first game before Novak did the same in game two after a forehand down the line winner.
Novak Djokovic defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the 2013 Indian Wells third round.
Dimitrov made another great hold in game three and created three break chances in the next one. He converted the second following Novak’s forehand error to open a 3-1 gap and settle into a fine rhythm. Controlling the pace so far, Dimitrov held at 15 in game five to move further in front, looking better and better after only 12 minutes. With more potential problems in game six, Djokovic grabbed four points in a row to make a hold with a service winner and end his downfall. Grigor brought the seventh game home after a couple of deuces to open a 5-2 gap and move closer to the set. With no room for errors, Novak secured a break in the ninth game following Grigor’s costly double fault in the worst moment. Djokovic extended the set and locked the result at 5-5 with a service winner in game ten. Both players delivered comfortable holds in games 11 and 12 to set up a tie break.
Djokovic forged a 5-0 advantage after three mini-breaks and secured the set in the 11th point when the Bulgarian sprayed a backhand error. They both made too many errors in the opener, and a better-ranked plater raised his level in the second set to leave the rival far behind. Novak held at 15 with a service winner in the first game and grabbed a break in game two following Grigor’s forehand error. Djokovic moved further in front with another booming serve in game three, and Dimitrov took the next one with a service winner to avoid a bagel. The Serb moved 4-1 up with a booming serve in game five and secured another break a few minutes later after the Bulgarian’s loose backhand. Novak served for the victory at 5-1 and landed four service winners to seal the deal in style and extend his winning streak.
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