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ROME (AP) -Third-ranked Novak Djokovic defeated Igor Andreev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters.
Djokovic stopped taking medication for strep throat on Tuesday, and he appeared sluggish in the second set on a warm day at the Foro Italico.
At the Monte Carlo Masters last month, Djokovic pulled out of his semifinal match against Roger Federer, citing dizziness and a sore throat.
The Australian Open winner will play Spanish clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro, who advanced when Fernando Gonzalez withdrew with a right leg injury.
Gonzalez, the runner-up to Nadal last year, won last weekend in Munich, Germany.
Top-ranked Federer was next on center court against big-serving Ivo Karlovic, the 6-foot-10 Croatian.
The Federer-Karlovic winner will face Radek Stepanek, who defeated Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets by 2001 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero on Wednesday.
Carlos Ferrero, who upset Rafael Nadal on Wednesday, faced Stanislas Wawrinka. Andy Roddick was to play Simone Bolelli.
This tournament is a clay-court tuneup for the French Open, which begins May 25.
Djokovic improved to 4-0 in his career against the 26th-ranked Andreev, who committed six double faults and made 20 unforced errors in the first set.
In the second, Andreev started dictating play from the baseline as Djokovic began spraying routine baseline shots wide.
By the end of the second set, Djokovic was hardly moving, apparently saving himself for the decisive third set.
Djokovic got off to a good start in the third, taking a 3-0 lead that prompted Andreev to smash a ball out of the stadium, drawing a warning from the chair umpire.
