Five-time Miami champion Novak Djokovic remains on track to capture the 2016 Miami Open presented by Itau after downing Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-1 in the third round on Sunday. Djokovic has not lost in Miami since 2013 (l. to Haas) and is 26-1 in his past 27 appearances at the event. He is trying to match Andre Agassi’s record six Miami Open titles and move ahead of Rafael Nadal by winning a record 28^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.

“[Sousa] made me play,” Djokovic said. “He made me push myself harder in the second set because he was staying close to the baseline and picking up the balls very efficiently, which I wasn’t expecting. I thought he was going to be playing from back of the court a little bit more.

“He was taking time away from me, especially from the side he was playing with the wind. He’s a good player, he’s very talented, he’s very quick around the court; he served well. I started to read his serve better in the second and just didn’t give him enough rhythm to maneuver.”

Sousa, who dropped to 1-21 lifetime against Top-10 opponents, punched above his weight class for most of the opening set. The No. 38 in the Emirates ATP Rankings won nine of 12 points returning the Djokovic second serve and broke the World No. 1 twice, but dropped serve three times.

With the first set under his belt, Djokovic rounded into form. He landed 86 per cent of first serves in the second set and only dropped three points on serve. Djokovic closed out the win in 78 minutes and improved to 3-0 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Sousa. He has never lost a set to the Portuguese.

“That first set came down to a few points,” Djokovic said. “After that, it was quite a good performance. In the second set I felt much more comfortable. I was serving very well the entire day. I’m glad that I managed to finish the match the way I did. Obviously, it gives me confidence for the next one.”

Next up for the top seed is promising Austrian Dominic Thiem, who made it four sets won in a row in Miami by beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday. Djokovic won 6-3, 6-4 in Shanghai 2014, their only past meeting.

Richard Gasquet dispatched countryman Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-0 in under one hour to move into the fourth round against Tomas Berdych. The No. 10 seed did not face a break point and converted four of six break points to maintain his perfect record (3-0) against Paire.

Youngster Lucas Pouille scored the biggest win of his career by downing No. 8 seed David Ferrer 6-7(1), 7-6(4), 7-5. The 22-year-old Frenchman saved match point serving at 4-5 in the deciding set before sweeping the final three games to secure his first victory over a Top-10 player.

Pouille saved 11 of 17 break points and broke Ferrer on seven occasions in the two-hour, 45-minute battle. He will face countryman Gilles Simon in the fourth round. 

The three-week run of ATP Challenger Tour events throughout China concluded on Sunday in Shenzhen, but it certainly won’t be the last tournament held in the bustling city of seven million people.

Zhou Libin, tournament director for the Shenzhen Gemdale Challenger, said that the city’s government is making the sport a top priority and developing long-term plans to build a “city of tennis.” In addition to this week’s Challenger, the Shenzhen Longgang Tennis Center has held an ATP World Tour 250 event each September since 2014, with Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych prevailing in the first two years. The site also holds a WTA International event each January and an ITF women’s Challenger in April.

“This is one of the best tennis centers in Shenzhen,” said Libin. “We also built a brand new hotel next to it so it’s even more convenient for players to compete here.”

Tournament officials also continue to focus on the personalized details that players often remember most. With activities offered this week including a shopping tour to the famous Luohu Mall and a cultural visit to the Wanshi Habitat, many players make it a point to return to Shenzhen year after year.

“The same group of people from the ATP 250 event also run this Challenger, so you can feel how professional they are,” said Di Wu, China’s second-highest ranked player. “This tennis center is among the top in China and the new hotel is fantastic.”

With a 4,000-seat Centre Court, in addition to 32 outdoor and indoor courts, local residents can be found playing year-round at the facility. String company Tecnifibre also holds several junior and amateur events throughout the year in Shenzhen, which means that local kids who compete could one day find themselves in the main draw of an ATP World Tour event in their hometown.

“With Shenzhen holding so many tournaments in the past few years,” said Libin, “I believe the tennis population in this city will only keep getting better.”

American Steve Johnson played nearly even with No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych during their two-hour and 42-minute match on Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. But on the biggest points in tennis – break points – Berdych was the clear winner.

The Czech converted two of his 10 break points, one in the first set and one in the third, to beat the No. 31 seed 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3. Johnson, meanwhile, was 0 for 10 on break points. Berdych moves into the fourth round in Miami for the fourth consecutive year.

He had a chance to get off the court earlier. The 30 year old had a match point during the second-set tie-break, but Johnson erased it with a service winner and evened the match. To start the third, it looked like Johnson was on his way to breaking his 12-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents.

The 26 year old had two break points in the first game of the third set, but Berdych held to reclaim the match’s momentum. He later broke Johnson in the fourth game of the third set and served out the match at 5-3.

Berdych, who has made the Miami Open semi-finals the past two years, will play a Frenchman in the fourth round, either No. 10 seed Richard Gasquet or No. 20 seed Benoit Paire.

Austrian Dominic Thiem also earned a place in the fourth round on Sunday. In a battle of up-and-coming ATP World Tour players, the No. 14 seed dismissed Next Generation star Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2. Thiem broke the Japanese qualifier four times. The 22 year old will face the winner of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Joao Sousa of Portugal.

No. 15 seed David Goffin continued his strong play at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments this month. Goffin, who made the semi-finals in Indian Wells last week, defeated the No. 19 seed Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-1. The Belgian broke the Serbian five times and erased the lone break point he faced during the 54-minute match.

After 14 years on tour, Israel’s Dudi Sela has achieved a career milestone by recording his 20^th title on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Competing this week in Shenzhen, China, Sela played flawless tennis throughout the tournament. He raced through the draw without losing a set and comfortably dispatched local favourite Di Wu in the championship match, 6-4, 6-3.

“I am so happy to win my 20th Challenger title in Shenzhen,” said Sela. “Winning a title here is very important because I didn’t play well after the Australian Open. The performance this week can boost my confidence for the rest of the year .”

With the win, Sela joins Yen-Hsun Lu as the only players on tour in the “20-Title Club” for Challenger victories.

Dudi Sela’s 20-Title Haul

“The Challengers have been a very important of my career,” said Sela. “These tournaments aren’t easy because most of the players either were in the Top 100 or have the ability to get there. But whenever my ranking dropped a bit, I would always go back to the Challengers to get some matches and confidence.” 

Although the veteran has plenty of good memories to take from the ATP Challenger Tour, he cited the former tournament in Vancouver, Canada, as his favourite event. Having won there four times (2005, 2008, 2010 and 2015), Sela is one of just five current players to win at least four titles at a single tournament.

“I really liked playing in Vancouver,” said Sela. “It’s a nice tournament, so it’s a pity that it got canceled this year. It was more unique than a lot of tournaments I’ve played.”

Currently ranked No. 84 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Sela’s victory in Shenzhen ensures that he will receive direct entry into the main draw of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. But while he’s pleased with achieving a career milestone this week, the 31-year-old said he still has bigger things in store.

“I started the year very well and my goal was to get back into the Top 50, but then I lost five matches in a row, so your goal is always changing,” said Sela. “But my main goal is still to win an ATP World Tour title. I’ve been a finalist two times before (at Beijing in 2008 and Atlanta in 2014), so I believe I can reach this one day.”