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Madrid - World number four Novak Djokovic beat Oscar Hernandez 6-3 6-3 in the second round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday to stay on course for his fifth successive final.
The Serbian third seed, who won his second title of the year in his native Belgrade at the weekend after losing in the final of the Masters events in Rome, Monte Carlo and Miami, did not face a single break point against the Spanish wild card.
He took a nasty tumble at the start of the second set, slipping on the clay in the new Magic Box stadium and falling awkwardly, but recovered to break in the fifth and ninth games and wrapped up the win on his fourth match point when Hernandez went long with a sliced backhand.
Djokovic will play Andreas Seppi for a place in the last eight after the Italian beat American Sam Querrey 6-3 4-6 6-4.
Fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina also went through when Czech Tomas Berdych retired from their second round match with a problem to his left leg after trailing 6-2 4-1.
French number eight seed Gilles Simon, who lost to Andy Murray in the final of the Madrid Masters last October when it was still an indoor hardcourt event, beat Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-2.
Swiss 11th seed Stanislas Wawrinka beat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4 7-5.
World number one Rafael Nadal begins his quest for a sixth title of the year, and fourth on clay, against Austrian Juergen Melzer later on Wednesday and sixth seeded American Andy Roddick plays German qualifier Tommy Haas.
