Serbian Success: Djere Captures Sardinia Crown
Laslo Djere became the third Serbian to capture a tour-level trophy in 2020 on Sunday, claiming his second ATP Tour crown with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory against Marco Cecchinato at the Forte Village Sardegna Open.
The 25-year-old joined countrymen Novak Djokovic (4) and Miomir Kecmanovic (1) to take his nation’s trophy haul to six titles this year after two hours and 19 minutes. Serbian players own a 6-1 record in championship matches this season and Djokovic also led Team Serbia to the inaugural ATP Cup trophy in January..
Serbia’s 2020 Success Story
| Champion | Title(s) | Event(s) |
| Team Serbia | 1 | ATP Cup |
| Novak Djokovic | 4 | Australian Open Dubai W&S Open Rome |
| Miomir Kecmanovic | 1 | Kitzbühel |
| Laslo Djere | 1 | Sardinia |
Eleven of Djere’s 13 tour-level victories this year have come on clay. Prior to his title run in Sardinia, the World No. 74 reached semi-finals on the surface in Cordoba and Kitzbühel. Djere has captured both his ATP Tour trophies at clay events, with his only previous triumph coming at last year’s Rio Open presented by Claro.
Cecchinato was attempting to become the first Italian to triumph at a home ATP Tour event since Filippo Volandri’s 2006 title run in Palermo. The 28-year-old saved match point in his first-round match against Gianluca Mager en route to his fourth tour-level championship match (3-1).
[WATCH LIVE 3]After trading breaks to open the final, a tie-break was required to decide the outcome of the first set. Djere concentrated his attack on Cecchinato’s backhand, extracting four errors in the opening six points to gain an commanding lead. The Serbian closed the set with a pinpoint backhand winner up the line.
Djere began to dictate rallies with his forehand in the second set and held two game points for a 3-0 lead, but Cecchinato continued to battle from the back of the court to find his way back into the match. Despite committing an increased number of errors, Djere maintained his forehand aggression to move closer to victory. Cecchinato attempted to close the net when serving at 5-6, but Djere found the target with two passing shot winners and a deep backhand return to take the title.
Djere earned 250 FedEx ATP Rankings points and €13,320. Cecchinato collected 150 points and €11,130.