SHANGAI:

Novak Djokovic banished exhaustion and played through an ankle injury scare Tuesday to make it to the quarterfinals of the , beating Spain's Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

The hard-won victory keeps Djokovic on track as the favourite to take a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub, with other top seeds already withdrawn or knocked out.

The 38-year-old almost looked unable to continue when the match went to a decider, but he conjured up the energy to break his decade-younger opponent twice in the third set.

"Thank you, thank you everyone, I love you!" he shouted in Chinese to the adoring crowd before leaving court almost immediately after play finished.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a good start despite the 84 percent humidity, breaking Munar in the fourt

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