Novak Djokovic conquers third straight China Open – Tennis Special
Former world number one, Novak Djokovic from Serbia, outclassed his entire opponents with ease, eventually lifting his third straight China Open title.
The Serbian star displayed flawless performance throughout the tournament and eventually captured his fourth year-to-date title. He lost a single set en route to the final round and ultimately grabbed his 32nd career title.
Seeded top in this event, Djokovic entered this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 Series event after making a final berth at the US Open last month (lost to third seed Andy Murray from Great Britain).
Djokovic thundered into National Tennis Center in his opening match against the German qualifier, Michael Berrer. He made quick in-roads and pulled out the opener with a breadstick. However, the Serb was tested in the following set and after trailing in
the tie-breaker, he levelled the set scores. Djokovic unveiled his true form again in the deciding set and eventually sealed the deal with a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-2 score line in just under two hours.
The 25-year-old perfected his game in the proceeding set. He required 75 minutes to crushed the Argentinean contender, Carlos Berlocq, with a 6-1, 6-3 success.
The high-spirited Serb maintained consistency in his game in the final eight. He superbly warded off both breakpoints he faced to keep his entire serves. Djokovic cashed all four break chances to manipulate a 6-1, 6-2 victory in less than an hour.
In the final four, Djokovic locked horns with the German challenger, Florian Mayer. He kept momentum rolling and eventually crippled the in-form German with a breadstick in an hour-long marathon. He smoothly held his entire serves and availed all three break
chances to nudge up a 6-1, 6-4 success.
Djokovic carried his rhythm in the final showdown against third seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France. He was broken down once but capitalised on three out of eight break chances to clobber a 7-6(4), 6-2 score line in 102 minutes.
The delighted Serb commented in a courtside interview after capturing the title:
“I am planning to come back to the China Open next year. It's been one of my most successful tournaments. This is where I love to play. I love the conditions and, as I mentioned before, I have lots of support from the fans who are very loyal and very nice.”
After this victory, Djokovic is eyeing to recapture his top spot at the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings. He reflected:
“That's the target. This will definitely help me in that race, but it's still quite open. I want to try to get as far as I can in the tournament, obviously taking one match at a time as I always do.”
After ruling in Beijing, the high flying Serb pocketed $530,570 in prize money and gained 500 ATP ranking points. As a result, he also extended his lead to 1490 as compared to the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer’s 8920.
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