Djokovic made a surprisingly early exit at the French Open last month

World number four Novak Djokovic saved five match points on his way to victory over France's Florent Serra at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

The Serb, who is the top seed in the draw following Roger Federer's withdrawal, looked to be on his way out in round two at a set and 5-2 down.

But Djokovic recovered, saving match points in games eight, nine and 10 to beat the 56th-ranked Serra 5-7 7-5 6-1.

He next faces Jurgen Melzer, who led 6-1 when Nicolas Kiefer retired.

"It's a big lesson I learned today, to fight until the last point," a relieved Djokovic said afterwards.

606: DEBATE Who will win in Halle?

"I was making too many big steps and was too unbalanced and too defensive. I am not playing even close to my best on this surface."

In other matches on Thursday, Andreas Beck of Germany defeated Lukas Lacko 7-5 7-6 (7-5) to set up a quarter-final against compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Belgian Olivier Rochus beat Philipp Petzschner 5-7 7-5 6-2 to secure a meeting with Benjamin Becker.

Seeds have been tumbling in Halle this week, with Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych and Dmitry Tursunov all beaten in the early rounds.

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