Djokovic surges to 50th win of season

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MONTREAL: Novak Djokovic surged to his 50th win of the season at the ATP Montreal Masters on Thursday with the Serb moving closer to his ninth title of 2011.

The newly-crowned world number one reached the quarter-finals as Croatian opponent Marin Cilic double-faulted on match point to hand over a 7-5, 6-2 win.

Djokovic is on fire as he continues his runaway 2011 success, with his only loss so far a semi-final defeat at the hands of Roger Federer in the Roland Garros semi-finals.

The top seed, playing his first ATP event while holding the top ranking, will await a winner from French fifth seed Gael Monfils and Serb Viktor Troicki.

The Serb advanced comfortably in challenging conditions.

"It was quite a bit different than yesterday, there was a lot of wind involved. It wasn't really a beautiful match to play and to watch.

"In the right moments I was trying to keep the ball into the court, make my opponent make an unforced error. I was just more patient and played well - that's the positive."

Djokovic admitted he was surprised by the second-round exits of both second seed Rafael Nadal and two-time winner Andy Murray.

"It's expected from them and from all of us top players to advance, you know, to the last stages of a tournament. But it happens.

"This is tennis. Both of their opponents have played great matches, and that's it. You move on. You have to forget about what you've done, there is already next week another tournament."

Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych defeated huge Croatian server Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and next faces either Serb Janko Tipsarevic or Croatian Ivan Dodig, a surprise winner in three sets over Nadal on Wednesday.

Stanislas Wawrinka nullified the huge serve of Kevin Anderson, limiting the South African to six aces in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win as the Swiss 14th seed improved to 28-12 on the season.

Djokovic went through in 95 minutes in the third-round contest to notch up his sixth victory over Cilic, a one-time member of the Top-10 now standing 29th.

Djokovic earned the opening set on a late break and took a 3-1 lead in the second to pave the way to his 50th.

The near-unstoppable Serb is playing at the event where he won on his debut in 2007. He went out in the semi-finals a year ago to Federer.

Third seed Federer was playing later in a re-run of a Wimbledon quarter-final, taking on 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The Frenchman beat the Swiss in a Wimbledon quarter-final this summer and also clocked a victory in the series here in 2009. (AFP)