Novak Djokovic: saw off his South African opponent in one hour and 37 minutes
Novak Djokovic booked his place in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 victory over Kevin Anderson.
The world number one was by no means at his fluent best but still proved too strong for his South African opponent, winning in one hour and 37 minutes.
Djokovic, seeking a third career title at the tournament in Indian Wells, seized both his break-point opportunities in a tight first that lasted just under an hour.
The Serbian then needed just the one break in the second, allowing him to serve out for a routine triumph that sets up a clash with Pablo Andujar, the Spaniard having earlier beaten Albert Ramos 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
Very close
"It was a very close match," Djokovic admitted afterwards. "The scoreline does not reflect how close it was, especially the style of the match.
"In most of our matches the first set goes on for half-an-hour or more. I was fortunate to hold that break and I returned well today."
The top seed and reigning champion defeated Spaniard Rafael Nadal in last year's final having first triumphed in the event back in 2008.
"This is one of my most successful tournaments," he added. "I love coming back to the desert."
In other third-round action, 11th seed John Isner saw off Juan Monaco 7-5 7-5 while 13th seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon got the better of Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka by a 6-4 6-4 scoreline.
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