Djokovic Overcomes Hernych To Reach Quarter-Finals

The 21-year-old Serb broke early in the game but squandered his advantage before taking Hernych`s serve again at the end of the first set.

Top seed Novak Djokovic overcame tenacious Czech Jan Hernych 7-5 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Marseille Open on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Serb broke early in the game but squandered his advantage before taking Hernych's serve again at the end of the first set.

Hernych, 29, produced another comeback in the second set while trailing 4-1, however Djokovic made the most of his experience to prevail in 92 minutes.

"I was a little bit nervous and I made quite a lot of unforced errors, especially with my forehand. But the most important thing is that I won," Djokovic told reporters.

"I want to go as far as possible," the world number three added.

Djokovic next meets German Mischa Zverev, who beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4 5-7 6-2.

Julien Benneteau also booked his place in the quarter-finals with a 6-1 2-6 6-1 win over Swiss lucky loser George Bastl.

He faces the winner of the game between another Frenchman Gilles Simon and German Rainer Schuettler.