Djokovic survives tough test en route to Tel Aviv final
Serbian ace beats Russian Roman Safiullin in semis, pushed hard by Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in quarters
top-seeded novak djokovic booked his place in the final of the tel aviv watergen open on saturday night after overcoming his russian opponent, roman safiullin, in the first of two semi-finals being played indoors at the tel aviv fairgrounds venue.
djokovic won 6-1, 7-6(3) in an hour and 53 minutes but if the first set appeared as if the match would be a breeze for the world no. 7 and top seed in the tournament, the second was anything but.
safiullin, ranked 104 in the world, was completely out of touch in the first set and missed many shots that went long or wide, giving djokovic a false sense of ease as he raced to a 5-0 lead before closing out the set.
but the russian’s game suddenly came together as he found the range on his shots and made his opponent work very hard for every point. it was hard to separate the two as they exchanged some lengthy rallies that had djokovic on the defensive far more often than he would have liked or expected.
safiullin was the beneficiary of three lucky net cords that went his way much to djokovic’s annoyance and he was broken for 4-3 only for the balance to be redressed immediately. he only succumbed in the tie break as the errors crept back into his game and djokovic breathed a sigh of relief.
“it was quite emotional on court today, especially in the second set; there was a lot of tension, but that’s also due to his aggressive style of play,” djokovic said. “it was one of those days when you have to stay mentally tough and hope that you can make it,” he added during the on-court interview held immediately afterwards.
djokovic, currently ranked no. 7 in the world but with ambitions to regain his place at the top of men’s world tennis, discovered later whether he would meet marin cilic of croatia, the tall, immensely powerful second seed who appears to pose a serious threat, or his wily French
opponent, Constant Lestienne. The match was still ongoing at press time.
The 35-year-old Serbian star has wowed the crowds with his stealth, athleticism and power, with the packed stands of almost 3,000 spectators cheering and applauding his skills
generously.
On Friday, Djokovic gave a thrilled crowd full value for their money by overcoming his close friend and rival Vasek Pospisil of Canada 7-6(6), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.
Djokovic did not have it all his own way in a hard-fought tussle against the tall Canadian of Czech heritage. Pospisil, whose promising career has been hampered by back injuries, is currently ranked 145, but his performance on Friday evening was far better than that and he used his powerful serve and piercing volley to pressure his opponent into playing his very best tennis in order to stay in the running.
The affable Pospisil was a “lucky loser” and was fortunate to even be playing in the tournament after losing in the qualifying event, where he looked severely hampered by injury.
It was one of the best matches in the tournament and had the crowd on their feet several times cheering both players and hoping that the match would continue even longer.
The two held their serves throughout the first set and, even though Djokovic opened up a clear lead in the tie breaker, Pospisil came right back at him and leveled the scores before the Serb held on to take it in just under an hour.
In the second set, both men traded breaks of serve in the early stages. But as both men battled from all corners of the court with some scintillating rallies, the enthralling tennis saw Djokovic make the crucial breakthrough to seal the win in an hour and 53 minutes. Although Pospisil appeared to suffer some pain, it didn’t affect his passion and commitment to win.
There was little to favor between the two players, with each serving eight aces during the match. After it ended, they embraced at the net. Djokovic then applauded as Pospisil left the court.
“It was a great, positive win,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “Vasek is one of my best friends on the tour; we have known each other for many years. It is never easy playing someone you respect so much and like so much, but we are both professionals and wanted to win the match and you can see that.
“I think the level of tennis was really high. Especially toward the end of the first set and the second set. Credit to him for fighting; great to see him back.”
Earlier, Safiullin showed his class as he downed Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-1 in 69 minutes to set up his meeting with Djokovic.
Cilic advanced to the semi-finals by way of a walkover after his British opponent, Liam Broady, pulled out injured on Friday.
Lestienne, the Croatian’s semi-final opponent, got past fourth-seeded American Maxime Cressy 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(3). At 2.01 meters, Paris-born Cressy’s big serve was just not enough to see him through, as he was undone by Lestienne’s smarter play and more diverse range of shots.
Play on Sunday begins at 4 p.m. with the doubles final that will be contested between top seeds Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Nathaniel Lammons of the US and second seeds Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela of Mexico. The singles final will follow that match.