Doha: Novak Djokovic eased through to the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open on Wednesday and was then shocked by opponent Horacio Zeballos who took a selfie of the pair on court.
The world number two won his second round match 6-3, 6-4 in just 72 minutes in Doha, thanks to a break of the Argentinian’s serve in each set.
He remains on a collision course with Andy Murray if both advance to the final. The world number one took two hours and 23 minutes to beat Austria’s Gerald Melzer 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 in a feisty encounter.
It was the Scotsman’s 26th consecutive victory.
Djokovic was taken by surprise by Zeballos’ request for a photograph immediately after the match ended.
“Making a selfie, that’s the first time I have had this experience in my career,” said the Serb. “Horacio — well done, very original.”
Djokovic is the defending champion in Doha and this year’s number two seed.
Murray’s match proved the most exciting of the evening though, and possibly the whole tournament so far.
In a 78-minute first set, Melzer, playing some inspired tennis, saved eight set points before eventually succumbing in a hard-fought tie-break.
The pair traded baseline passing shots, with Melzer the world number 68, matching Murray and looking like he could bring the world number one’s winning streak to an end.
As the match wore on, Murray looked increasingly frustrated by his own game and some of the line calls.
“I was a bit lucky to get through,” said Murray who next faces Spain’s Nicolas Almagro.
“He played great, great tennis, he was winning large parts of the match. Today is a perfect example of the depth of the men’s game.”
