Indian Wells - World number two Novak Djokovic shook off a mid-match lapse to beat Alejandro Gonzalez 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 on Tuesday and reach the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters.
Djokovic, who lifted the trophy in the California desert in 2008 and 2011, was playing the 91st-ranked Colombian for the first time.
He appeared to be cruising toward a win until a sloppy spell late in the second set saw Gonzalez break for a 5-3 lead and win the next game to bring the match level.
Djokovic regained control with a demoralizing break in the second game of the third set, in which Gonzalez had nine game points before the Serbian star converted his first break chance.
Djokovic, 26, is seeking to jump-start a 2014 campaign that is off to a slow start.
His bid for a fourth straight Australian Open title ended in a quarter-final loss to eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka, and he fell to Roger Federer in the semi-finals at Dubai in his only other tournament this year.
He faces a potentially tough fourth-round match against Croatian Marin Cilic, who beat 16th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-4, 6-3.
Cilic collected his 10th and 11th ATP titles at Zagreb and Delray Beach last month.
Men
3rd rd
Fernando Verdasco (ESP x30) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x8) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1Ernests Gulbis (LAT x20) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x15) 2-6, 6-1, 7-5
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6)
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Marin Cilic (CRO x24) bt Tommy Robredo (ESP x16) 6-4, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Alejandro Gonzalez (COL) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
Women
4th rd
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x12) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) 6-3, 6-2
Flavia Pennetta (ITA x20) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-2, 6-1
Simona Halep (ROM x6) bt Eugenie Bouchard (CAN x18) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
Casey Dellacqua (AUS) bt Lauren Davis (USA) walkover
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x7) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x10) 6-3, 6-1
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x2) bt Alize Cornet (FRA x22) 7-5, 6-3