By Robert Martin                                   Photo Credit: Natasha Peterson / Corleve

(September 5, 2011) World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was inexplicably scheduled to play his fourth round match on Louis Armstrong Stadium where he took on the combination of gusty conditions and his unorthodox opponent, Alexandr Dolgopolov. Far from his best, Djokovic found a way to struggle into the quarterfinals after a 7-6 (14), 6-4, 6-2 victory.

While the top seed improved his phenomenal record in 2011, it took him one hour 16 minutes just to take the first set from the Ukrainian. Known for his exceptional consistency, Djokovic was definitely below his lofty expectations, hitting only 13 winners to 25 unforced errors.

Djokovic was fortunate to face 22nd-seeded Dolgopolov, who orchestrated his own fate by hitting 44 unforced errors and failing to take advantage of his chances. While Djokovic was able to convert on five of his seven break chances, Dolgopolov was much less successful, failing to convert on four and six opportunities.

The momentum of the match clearly swung in the balance as the players battled back and forth in the first set tiebreak, leaving many with the sense that if Dolgopolov could not capture the set, he would quickly wilt away. Each player missed multiple opportunities as they both appeared to play defensively without the typical conviction that they are known for.

Dolgopolov’s inability to get the first serve in at crucial moments began to wear on the rest of his game, which is used to relying on free points from his deceptively quick serve. Despite being only five feet 11 inches tall, Dolgopolov is ranked eighth in aces on the year.

Djokovic appeared to have an incredible amount of trouble with the slice backhand from his opponent, frequently hitting routine forehands into the net. Dolgopolov clearly began to feel the pressure as the tiebreak wore on, seeming to lose the ability to hit a return, content to block and slice returns even on the forehand side.

When the final forehand block sailed past the baseline, Djokovic let out some emotion, making motions towards the capacity crowd, who was less than receptive to the Serb. The No. 1 received some jeers from the crowd who appeared to feel that the celebration was over the top and untimely given that it was only the first set.

As predicted though, Dolgopolov appeared to struggle more after the letdown following the first set. The Serb quickly jumped to a quick lead in the second, earning a break, and not looking back as he coasted to a straight set win.

Djokovic will play countryman, 20th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, who made his first quarterfinal at a grand slam earlier in the day by taking out the obviously drained Juan Carlos Ferrero.