Novak Djokovic qualified with some difficulty for the final of the Masters tournament in Cincinnati on Friday. The number one in the world fought in the last four past Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut with 4-6, 6-4 and 7-6 (0).
Djokovic was treated several times on his neck during the match. The Serbian has been bothered by this all week and therefore decided to withdraw for the doubles tournament at the Western & Southern Open, as the tournament of Cincinnati is called.
In the first set against Bautista Agut, Djokovic undid a break in the third game, but returned his service moments later. The seventeen-time Grand Slam winner lost the set, but came 4-1 in the second company.
Bautista Agut restored the balance, but was broken again at 5-4. Because of this, a decisive set had to be involved. In it, Djokovic was allowed to serve at 5-3 for the game, but then lost three games in a row.
In the eleventh game, Bautista Agut got the chance to finish the match on his own service, but the global number twelve also lost his service. In the tiebreak, Djokovic took the lead by winning seven points in a row.
––
–
–
Djokovic was treated several times on his neck during the match. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Djokovic meets Raonic in the final
Due to his victory over Bautista Agut, Djokovic is still unbeaten this year. He won the ATP Cup with Serbia in January and subsequently won both the Australian Open and the Dubai hard court tournament.
In the final battle, Djokovic will take on Milos Raonic on Saturday. The Canadian settled earlier in the day with the Greek Stéfanos Tsitsipás: 7-6 (5) and 6-3. Raonic is in the final of a Masters tournament for the first time since Indian Wells in 2016. Then he had to leave the title to Djokovic.
The Cincinnati Masters Tournament is the first event on the ATP Tour since the tennis season was shut down in March due to the corona pandemic. The tennis players are preparing for the US Open in New York, where the tournament is being held once due to the corona crisis.
The Grand Slam tournament starts next Monday and will also be played behind closed doors. Djokovic will meet Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the US Open.
– .
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/LZGV2KTBLKNIO2CD3RD3OS4SOM.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)