World No. 1 Novak Djokovic rues series of missed opportunities during 6-1, 5-7, 3-6 loss to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut; Barty stuns Kvitova
Novak Djokovic during his shock defeat
Novak Djokovic's pursuit of a record seventh Miami Open ATP title ended in dramatic fashion on Tuesday as Roberto Bautista Agut superbly recovered from a first set destruction to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and book a place in the quarter-finals.
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And the top seeds kept falling as women's World No. 2 Petra Kvitova slumped to a surprise 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-2 defeat to Australian Ashleigh Barty. Bautista Agut, 30, may have beaten Djokovic on the way to winning the title in Doha earlier this year but 15-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic started like a train in this last 16 encounter before being amazingly reined back in.
Roberto Bautista Agut. Pics/AFP
After just 25 minutes, Djokovic was 5-0 ahead and on cruise control, Bautista Agut severely struggling to keep the Serbian at bay. A short rain delay late in the second set allowed Bautista Agut to regroup, however. He returned a completely different player and at the end of an absorbing two hours and 29 minutes, it was theNo. 22 seed who will now meet defending champion John Isner for a place in the semi-finals.
Petra Kvitova
"I played more aggressive," said Bautista Agut, who began to noticeably step inside and force Djokovic onto the back foot. "He is a solid player but I shouldn't have lost this match, I had way too many wasted opportunities," said World No. 1 Djokovic. "I thought I played well today and during this tournament but two or three sluggish games and that's what happens," he added.
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