Djokovic dumps Mueller to reach third round in Toronto

TORONTO (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic opened his North American hardcourt season with a 7-5 7-6(3) victory over Luxembourg’s Gilles Mueller on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Rogers Cup.

Djokovic, playing his first match since his shock third-round Wimbledon loss to American Sam Querrey, won 73 percent of his service points and wrapped up the win in one hour and 43 minutes.

The Serbian world number one, a three-times winner of the Canadian Masters event, will next play Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek, a 7-6(5) 6-4 winner over Canadian wildcard Peter Polansky.

Querrey, whose Wimbledon run came to an end with a quarter-finals loss to eventual runner-up Milos Raonic, could not pen a similar script as he retired from his second-round clash with Belgian seventh seed David Goffin while trailing 6-4 2-1.

Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori beat American qualifier Dennis Novikov 6-4 7-5 and ninth seed John Isner fell 7-6(3) 6-7(4) 6-4 to American Ryan Harrison.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue, editing by Ed Osmond)