World number one Novak Djokovic kicked off his bid for a fourth Canadian crown with a 6-3 7-6 second round win over a stubborn Thomaz Bellucci at the Rogers Cup late Tuesday.

Bellucci, with just one win in five visits to Canada and coming off a first-round loss at Washington, appeared to be the perfect opponent for Djokovic to launch his build-up to the US Open but provided a stiff test for the Serb.

“The match could have gone either way, honestly, especially in the second set,” Djokovic told reporters after battling Bellucci for an hour and 50 minutes.

“But we both had our chances to break. We got to the tiebreak then it was anybody’s game.

“It’s the first hard-court match for me from Miami earlier this year in March. It takes a little bit of time to get into the rhythm, get into the groove.”

The top seed in Canada for the fifth straight year, Djokovic saved all three break points he faced in a tight opening set.

The Serb, who narrowly missed out on a fourth Canada title last year after losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, also saved two break points in the second as the set went to a tie break, which he quickly took control of and took 7-4 to register his 250th world tour Masters 1000 match win.

Only three players have beaten Djokovic in 2015 – Ivo Karlovic, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.