Djokovic, Tipsarevic reach quarters

Neither gusty wind nor drawn-out tiebreakers nor pony-tailed young Ukrainians have stayed Novak Djokovic from the not-always-swift completion of his appointed rounds. Not so far, at least.

Djokovic, the U.S. Open's top seed and title favorite, Monday weathered a 30-point first-set tiebreaker against Alexandr Dolgopolov, whose age matches his No. 22 seed, before winning his 61st of 63 matches this year.

The 7-6 (14), 6-4, 6-2 win kept Djokovic on course for a shot at his third major title in 2011 and set him up for a quarterfinal against fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic. At 27, Tipsarevic reached his first major singles quarterfinal after a 7-5, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

"It was an interesting first set,'' Djokovic offered in an understatement of the 16-14 tiebreaker, in which Djokovic had six set points and Dolgopolov four. "In the end, it was more mental just to hang in there. This is one of the longest tiebreaks I ever played."

It finally ended when Dolgopolov sent a forehand long after an extended rally, but Dolgopolov contended: "I don't think the tiebreak would change the match even if I won it. I mean, he's better than me physically now. You can't play a great returner like that and serve around 40 percent'' -- actually 41 percent.

So now it is Tipsarevic who is faced with the steamrolling Djokovic, his friend and Davis Cup teammate. Though on a lower level, ranked No. 20, Tipsarevic, like Djokovic, is having his best year. Tipsarevic shrugged off a troublesome knee, winning his 22 service games.

But compared to Djokovic? "It's really a joke,'' Tipsarevic said. "I cannot believe that somebody lost -- how many? -- two matches this year. I said it before; I am extremely grateful for having Novak as part of my life, because I have a chance to look from a front-row seat what the world's best tennis player is doing.''