Djokovic, Azarenka advance, Federer falls

Top seeds and defending champions Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka advanced Monday while third seed Roger Federer crashed out of the ATP/WTA Miami Masters tournament. Djokovic defeated No. 27 seed Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4 in an all-Serb third round matchup on Monday.
American Andy Roddick upset 16-time major winner Federer 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-4, snapping the Swiss star’s win streak at 16 matches. The world number one Djokovic, who won Miami titles in 2007 and 2011, saved seven of eight break point opportunities as he beat Troicki for the 11th consecutive time.
“Generally I feel that I have been playing well,” Djokovic said. “I did have some ups and downs, especially in today’s match, but I’m confident that I can raise the level of my performance in every match.” Djokovic finished with two aces, one double fault and won 73 percent of his first-serve points in the 85 minute match.
Djokovic next plays 17th seed Richard Gasquet of France.Azarenka survived a scare from 16th seeded Dominika Cibulkova, gutting out a 1-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 victory in the fourth round Monday.
Cibulkova made Azarenka, of Belarus, work to protect her season long match win streak which now stands at 26.
“It felt like she closed her eyes and just went for everything, and me, I couldn’t really open my eyes,” Azarenka said. “It was like I was blinded. “But my coach came to the court, kicked me a little bit that I have to at least try to change something. It was like a snowball. I kept rolling … and I didn’t really adjust. “In the end I tried to change something. But it was more about fighting in my heart today.”
World No. 1 Azarenka struggled in the first set then needed a tiebreaker in the second to get back into the marathon two hour, 47 minute match. She finished with two aces and seven double faults, compared to Cibulkova’s 10 double faults.
Azarenka advances to face France’s Marion Bartoli, who easily defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-2 earlier in the day.
Roddick beat Federer for just the third time in 24 career meetings.
“It was kind of a game of chess,” Roddick said. “I stayed back on the returns, which is something I have not done with him often early on. He might have been a little bit surprised by it.” Roddick hammered 12 aces and won 74 percent of his first-serve points to outlast Federer in the two hour, one minute third round match.
After losing the first set tie-break, Federer broke Roddick three times to even the match at one-set all. Roddick saved four break points to hold serve in his first service game of the final set.
“I had my chances,” Federer said. “I could have been up a break early in the third, but he did well to fight off those break points. He served really well.”
Federer’s 16-match win streak, included titles in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells. World No. 2 Maria Sharapova defeated fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to set up a quarter-final clash with China’s Li Na.
Sharapova, the 2011 Miami runner-up, is chasing her first title at the event after finishing second three times. She lost in the final last year to Azarenka.
“I felt like I was up a set and a break, and played a bit sloppy,” Sharapova said. “Combination of her stepping up, and being much more aggressive. She had opportunities, served for the second set.
“I just hung in there and stayed consistent. I played a much smarter tiebreaker, and I think that helped me.”
Sharapova saved break point 11 of 15 times and converted on five of eight of her break point opportunities to advance into a matchup against Li, who rallied to beat Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.