Djokovic Fights Past Khachanov To Belgrade Final

Novak Djokovic is relishing the battle at the Serbia Open this week.

The World No. 1 fought back from a set down for the third consecutive match on Saturday to complete a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Karen Khachanov and reach the championship match at his hometown tournament for the third time.

Just like in his previous rounds against Laslo Djere and Miomir Kecmanovic, Djokovic made a slow start in the semi-final clash as Khachanov came out striking cleanly off both wings. Top-seeded Djokovic responded in style, arguably producing his best two sets of the week to storm back for a one-hour, 59-minute victory and extend his winning record in Serbia to 37-5.

The win gives Djokovic the chance to pick up his maiden title in 2022 in front of his home fans on Sunday against Andrey Rublev or Fabio Fognini. The Serb now holds a 13-2 match record at the Belgrade event and there were real signs on Saturday that he is finding his best form as he seeks to lift the trophy at the ATP 250 event for the third time.

Khachanov showed real intent to take advantage of an error-strewn start from Djokovic to break in the first game of the match, and it was enough to clinch a tight first set at the Novak Tennis Center. The World No. 26 struck the ball fiercely in the opening exchanges with both players also showing silky touches at the net as Djokovic began to settle into the encounter.

Despite Djokovic dropping the opening set an energetic crowd could sense the home favourite had upped his level and the Serb’s masterful returning earned him a double break in the second set, which he sealed with an ace.

There was little Khachanov could do to halt Djokovic’s momentum as the 20-time Grand Slam champion began to fire in all aspects of his game. Two further breaks in the deciding set sealed the clash for Djokovic as he extended his ATP Head2Head series lead over Khachanov to 6-1.

Khachanov may have been unable to maintain his early momentum against Djokovic but he will be pleased with his run to the semi-finals on tournament debut after snapping a four-match losing streak with his second-round win over Roman Safiullin. The 25-year-old is still hunting for his first title since his sole victory over Djokovic brought him the title at the Rolex Paris Masters in 2018.

More to follow…