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Djokovic tested by Bellucci

 New Nation
 Published: 12:00 AM, 16 May 2015  Updated: 8:43 AM, 29 September 2022
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns the ball to Thomaz Bellucci, of Brazil, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns the ball to Thomaz Bellucci, of Brazil, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome on Thursday.

AP, Rome :Top-ranked Novak Djokovic fought back from a set down to pull out a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 win over Brazilian qualifier Thomaz Bellucci to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday.The 68th-ranked Bellucci gave Djokovic trouble with his powerful serving and groundstrokes and also exhibited extraordinary foot speed early on.After Bellucci broke to take a 6-5 lead in the opening set, Djokovic put on a new pair of sneakers during the changeover – a sign he wasn’t comfortable.Djokovic broke early in the second set and got the decisive break late in the third, extending his winning streak to 18 matches.He will next face fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori, who beat Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-4, 6-3.Earlier, Rafael Nadal became the first player to break John Isner’s serve in nearly a month, and he did it twice in a 6-4, 6-4 win.Andy Murray and Serena Williams, meanwhile, withdrew from the last big warm-up tournament before the French Open, which starts in 10 days.