Djokovic battles past Robredo

Novak Djokovic was made to work hard but responded well to the test provided by Tommy Robredo to book his place in the US Open quarter-finals.

The third seed from Serbia lost the first set to the 15th-seeded Spaniard before battling back to win the fourth-round meeting 4-6 6-2 6-3 5-7 6-3 in an epic contest that lasted three hours and 44 minutes.

The first set went with serve until the ninth game, when a double fault from the Australian Open champion handed Robredo his first break-point of the match. The Spaniard did not pass up the opportunity, and went on to hold serve to go a set up.

After a strangely subdued opening, 21-year-old Djokovic burst into life at the start of the second set and soon built a 3-0 lead.

His momentum was halted when he had to call on the trainer to get treatment, seemingly for a hip problem, but was soon able to resume and – after each player held serve twice – capitalised on a double fault by Robredo to break again and level the match at one set all.

Sensing the Girona-born 26-year-old may be running out of steam, Djokovic broke Robredo in his second service game of the third set to establish a 3-1 advantage.

Robredo, making his fifth appearance in the fourth round, was looking to make the last eight at Flushing Meadows for the first time but could not find a way back with the remainder of the set going with serve.

Djokovic began brightly in the fourth set, breaking Robredo in the opening game, but the Spaniard refused to give up the fight and soon got back on level terms.

The Belgrade-born youngster was becoming frustrated at his opponent’s never-say-die attitude and let his anger boil over the surface in the seventh game, throwing his racquet down as Robredo edged 4-3 ahead.

Djokovic was then forced to serve to stay in the fourth set at 5-6 and failed to hold with Robredo breaking to take the match into a decider.

But the world number three responded well to that setback, breaking Robredo in the fifth and ninth games to finally wrap up the win.

Djokovic next faces a semi-final clash with either eighth seed Andy Roddick of United States or 11th-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who do battle later on Tuesday.

One of the favourites to dethrone four-time defending champion Roger Federer, Djokovic also survived a scare in his third-round match yesterday but recovered for a 6-7 (7/9) 7-5 6-4 7-6 (7/0) victory over 30th seed Marin Cilic of Croatia.

While Djokovic is still seeking his first US Open crown, he has experienced some success at the hardcourt event – he advanced to the final last year, but lost to Federer.