California, March 10 -- Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic moved to the fourth round of the ongoing Indian Wells Open, beating American Aleksandar Kovacevic on Tuesday night.

Djokovic, the five-time champion, outclassed Aleksandar 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, facing a setback in the second set to book his place in the fourth round of the event for the first time since 2017. This is the second successive match where Djokovic has played three sets, having played a tough campaign opener against Kamil Majchrzak.

"It was a great performance from Aleks. We know each other. We speak the same language. His whole family is Serbian," said Djokovic as quoted by ATP's official website.

"It is great to see him doing well. He is played a great tournament so far. ...