Novak Djokovic has made it to the Shanghai semifinals. The Serbian, after a comeback, defeated 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4. He will play Taylor Fritz on Saturday at 1 pm for a place in the final.
The first set was relatively calm in the early stages. Neither player had a break point until 3-3. Novak was the first to attack. In the seventh game, he reached two break points, but unfortunately couldn’t convert either.
However, what he couldn’t do then, he did in the ninth game. After a lot of luck and with the help of the net, he got another chance to break his opponent’s serve, which he took to lead 5-4.
He served for the first set, was up 30-15, and then made three unforced errors, practically giving the Czech back the set. In the next two games, both players held their serve, and they went to a tiebreak.
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Djokovic started well and led 3-0 with a mini-break. However, then there was a big drop. Due to Djokovic’s mistakes and Mensik’s excellent serves, the Czech won seven of the next eight points and took the first set.
Losing the set didn’t affect Novak. In the second set, he was brilliant. He immediately broke serve for 2-0, then broke Mensik’s serve again in the sixth game and won the set 6-1.
Djokovic was the better player in the third set as well. In the third game, he missed two break points, but in the fifth, he finally converted his fourth chance to break serve and lead 3-2. That practically settled the question of the winner and set up the tenth match against Fritz.
Novak has won all nine previous matches against the American. If he defeats him again, he will play for the title against the winner of the Sinner-Machac match.
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Source: Sport Klub
Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP / Profimedia