DUBAI, March 3: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic moved into the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships with a hard-fought straight-sets 6-3, 7-5 win against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, setting up a blockbuster semifinal clash with former world no 1 Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic, competing in his first tournament since lifting his record-extending 10th Australian Open trophy, is now 15-0 in the season, marking his fourth-best winning streak to start a season.
The Pole threw everything in his deep arsenal at Djokovic on the centre court. From winning a point after hitting a tweener in the early moments of the match to putting pressure on the Serbian by moving forward, the Pole tried to take the 35-year-old out of his comfort zone.
But Djokovic dominated on serve – he did not face a break point – and chipped away to earn opportunities until he broke through. The top seed converted two of his eight opportunities to advance after one hour and 21 minutes and take a 5-0 lead in the pair’s ATP head-to-head series.
In the first round, the Serb needed a final-set tie-break to claw past Tomas Machac. Now Djokovic is two wins from capturing his sixth title in Dubai and his 94th tour-level crown overall. That would tie him with Ivan Lendl for the third-most titles in the Open Era.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will be fully focused on the face-off with Medvedev, who ousted eighth seed Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in the last match of the day. The third seed won the last 21 points of the match to send a message to his next opponent.
The 27-year-old will be aiming to overcome a 4-9 ATP head-to-head deficit against the Serbian. Medvedev has won back-to-back titles in Rotterdam and Doha, and is aiming for a third in Dubai. He is on a 12-match winning streak and has not dropped a set this week.
Rublev gets Zverev
Defending Dubai champion Andrey Rublev will face Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal match.
Rublev advanced by defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 7-6 (3). Zverev topped Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4. It will be Zverev’s first semifinal since the French Open last June, when he injured his right ankle while playing against Rafael Nadal. He underwent surgery days later to repair torn ligaments.
“It’s been a very difficult time for me the last, I would say, nine months,” the 25-year-old German, who was the runner-up at the 2020 US Open, said in his on-court interview.
“The hard work is paying off and I’m extremely happy with what the progress is and how I’m playing right now.”Rublev, a 25-year-old Russian who is ranked No. 6, reached the semifinals for the third straight year. (Agencies)
