BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) --- World No. 2 Novak Djokovic of Serbia edged past Michael Berrer of Germany 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-2 in the first round at China Open here on Tuesday.

It was the second encounter between these two players after Djokovic beat Berrer in the first round at Wimbledon in 2008.

The match had been expected to be an easy one for Djokovic as the Croatian has won 31 titles in his career, while his opponent is only ranked world No. 123 now. The easy first set win seemed justifying Djokovic's advantage.

But the world No. 2 was having some trouble in the second set as both players held their service in the first 12 games. In the tiebreak, Berrer outclassed Djokovic 7-3 with his strong service.

In the final set, the top seed immediately adjusted himself and stormed to a 3-0 lead. The German held his following two service games, but Djokovic broke Berrer in the eighth game to seal the deciding set at 6-2.

This is the third appearance of Djokovic in China Open, where he won the title in 2009 and 2010.

Djokovic will take on Carlos Berlocq of Argentina in the second round. Enditem

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