[ad_1]
Djokovic only had to fight with greater resistance in the first set
© WHAT
Defending champion Dominic Thiem has cleared his first hurdle at the Vienna ATP tennis gymnast Erste Bank Open. The 27-year-old defeated the lucky Ukrainian underdog Vitaly Satschko 6: 4.7: 5 on Tuesday night, but acted unusually incorrectly in the first game with the 23-year-old. The world ranking-529. he played unexpectedly strong and fearless, towards the end the game was high class. Thiem will face Cristian Garin (CHI) or Stan Wawrinka (SUI) on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic reached the round of 16 shortly before, but struggled and had a bit of luck at 7: 6 (6), 6: 3 against Filip Krajinovic. In the duel between the Serbs, the outsider was the best player in the first set and also found a set ball, but the reward did not materialize. An early pause in the second round set the course for success which was set at 88 minutes. Djokovic will now play the quarter-finals against Croatian Borna Coric on Wednesday (not before 5.30 pm).
After match point was used, Djokovic whispered in his friend Krajinovic’s ear that he was a bit happy even in the first set. “He really was. We trained a lot together, even before we came here. He knows my game and I know his game very well. It was very difficult. There is always added pressure when you know someone very well. The set served in the tiebreaker, a point or two here and there can change the momentum of the game. I’m glad I won. “
At the beginning of the winner’s interview on center court, Djokovic implemented his announcement from Sunday’s press conference and delivered a few phrases in German. “I trained in Germany when I was 12, 13, 14 years old. I had the German language at school. I feel very, very comfortable here. Thank you for the support and welcome,” he said of the 1,000 fans. at the Wiener Stadthalle before having to accommodate visitors for the “evening session”.
Krajinovic had already beaten Djokovic earlier this year, in June at the Belgrade Invitational Tournament of the Adria Tour, which was ultimately won by Dominic Thiem. It was only the third duel between the two on the ATP tour, with Djokovic prevailing a month ago in the round of 16 in Rome with the almost identical score of 7: 6 (7), 6: 3.
On Tuesday, Krajinovic was seeking revenge. Although he was 1: 3 behind, with two breaks or four games in a row he changed the round to 5: 3 for now. Djokovic, 33, was saved in the tie-break, here too Krajinovic had a 5: 3 and a set ball at 6: 5. At 6: 6, the 28-year-old broke the net, Djokovic used his first set ball. The second set wasn’t that clear either, but with breaks at 2: 1 and 6: 3, the world number one made it all clear.
“It was my first indoor game in a long time,” Djokovic later recalled. “That wasn’t my highest level yet. I tried to stay positive. I know I can play better. It often happens to me that I don’t start a tournament that well.” Then it should be easier against Coric. It is slated to be the first round of 16 of this year’s ATP tournament. Going head-to-head with the 23-year-old world No. 24, Djokovic is 3-0.
Parallel to Djokovic’s match, Daniel Evans qualified for the second round on Thursday against Austrian Jurij Rodionov. With a 6: 3.4: 5 lead, the Briton benefited from the retirement of Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene. Evans, 30, is ranked 33rd in the ranking 120 places ahead of Rodionov, head-to-head is 1: 1. Other winners early Tuesday were Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) with 7: 6 (6), 6: 3 against Karen Chatschanow (RUS) and Hubert Hurkacz (POL) with 6: 3.7: 5 against Attila Balasz (HUN).
[ad_2]
