Novak Djokovic Beats Ernests Gulbis in 3rd Round of 2017 Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic beat Ernests Gulbis in straight sets in the third round of 2017 Wimbledon on Saturday. Djokovic rallied from 4-2 down in the opening set to eventually win 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(2).

The win means Djokovic will now face Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round.

A brilliant forehand from Djokovic forced an error from Gulbis and gave the former break point early in the opening set. Yet a pair of aces put Gulbis on the brink of holding serve, but another unforced error, hitting the net this time, meant the game went to deuce for a third time.

A pair of disputed out calls left Djokovic fuming with the umpire. The Serb was even more aggrieved when Gulbis finally took the protracted game to even things at one apiece.

Djokovic already appeared rattled, and BBC 5 live's David Law predicted Gulbis would cause him a few problems:

So it proved, as the Latvian broke serve in the next game, before holding emphatically for a 3-1 lead. ESPN's Brad Gilbert was impressed with the way Gulbis was striking the ball on Centre Court:

Gulbis may have been in the ascendancy, but Djokovic engineered a crucial break point to even the set at 4-4. The Serb then seized the momentum to close out the set.

A deft forehand at the net allowed Djokovic to break serve again, this time for a two-game lead in the second. The 30-year-old now appeared in complete control.

Gulbis was beginning to crack under the pressure, and a fifth double fault gave Djokovic yet another break point and a 4-0 lead in the set. Things got worse for Gulbis when he wasted two break points in the next game to allow Djokovic to hold serve for a 5-0 lead.

After receiving treatment for a back problem, Gulbis hung tough in the third set, opening 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 leads.

Another spat occurred between Djokovic and the umpire as Gulbis stretched his lead to 5-4, per BBC Tennis:

Both players held serve to leave Gulbis chasing a break point to take the set. However, Djokovic also held to force a decisive tiebreak.

Djokovic won the first point after a 16-shot rally. He was 5-1 in front before seeing out the win on his second match point.

After disappointing on coach Andre Agassi's watch earlier in the year, Djokovic looks more determined, intense and aggressive at Wimbledon.

His improved form is ominous for the rest of the men's bracket.