MONTREAL — World number one Novak Djokovic kicked off his bid for a fourth Canadian crown with a 6-3 7-6(4) second round win over a stubborn Thomaz Bellucci at the Rogers Cup on Tuesday.
Bellucci, with just one win in five visits to Canada and coming off a first-round loss at Washington, appeared to be the perfect opponent for Djokovic to launch his buildup to the U.S. Open but provided a stiff test for the Serb.
"Match could have gone either way, honestly, especially in the second set," Djokovic told reporters after battling Bellucci for an hour and 50 minutes.