Djokovic thumps king of clay Nadal to enter third round
The two greats of the racquet game, both in the evening of their fabulous journey in tennis, have fought many a pitched battle between themselves in their glittering careers.
Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday beat Daniel Evans to set up a final clash with Novak Djokovic in the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Greek star won 26 of his 29 first-serve points and did not face a break point en route to a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Evans after 81 minutes.
“I just managed to stay solid throughout the whole match,” said Tsitsipas as quoted by ATP Tour’s official website.
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“I didn’t have massive breakdowns and just played a quality of tennis which I enjoyed… I am really impressed by the quality of my game today and I really hope to bring the same and possibly even better in the next round,” he said.
Prior to Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic had saved three consecutive match points against Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach the finals of the tournament. The world number 1 had defeated Monfils 2-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-1 in the semifinal.
“It’s like being on the edge of a cliff,” said Djokovic about facing match points as per the ATP Tour website.
“You know there is no way back so you have to jump over and try to find a way to survive I guess and pray for the best and believe that you can make it, that there is something that is going to help you.
“That’s one of the things that I feel at the moment. Okay, one point away, one shot away. There is no going back. This is it. I accept the situation and try to make the most out of it,” he added.
Djokovic is tied at 2-2 in his head-to-head series with Tsitsipas, who will be competing in his second straight championship match on Saturday in Dubai.
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