DJOKOVIC IS FLYING HIGH IN SHANGHAI
Serbian continues remarkable run of form after beating Coric to win his 18th successive match
Novak Djokovic continued his unstoppable run of form by outclassing Borna Coric 6-3, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters final yesterday for his 18th successive win.
Djokovic was a class above all week, and Coric, who so impressively knocked out defending champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals, was no match for the second seed from Serbia.
Having reached the final, Djokovic was already assured of a move up one place in the world rankings to No 2, but winning the title means the 14-time grand slam champion takes another big step towards closing down Rafael Nadal in top spot.
Given his stunning form, which has seen Djokovic collect the Cincinnati Masters, Wimbledon, US Open – and now Shanghai – titles since his last defeat, he will fancy his chances of ending the year top of the rankings, particularly with Nadal currently sidelined with injury.
It has been a remarkable turnaround from Djokovic, who struggled throughout the first half of the season having returned from a five-month layoff with an elbow injury.
After undergoing surgery in February, Djokovic gradually rediscovered his form to the point now where he is once again the most dominant male player on the planet. “I’m cherishing every moment of it,” he told the crowd, calling Shanghai “a special place” after collecting his fourth title in the Chinese city. “This was definitely one of the best service weeks that I’ve had in my career,” he said.
“I was saying before that I have never played on faster courts here in Shanghai, so this year more than ever I needed a lot of success with the first serves in, and I have had plenty of success with first serves ... in every match. So that brings me a lot of joy.
“I could not ask for a better scenario. I am very close now to
I’m cherishing every moment of it. This was definitely one of the best service weeks I’ve had in my career NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Nadal in the rankings and put myself in a good position for the last period of the year.”
Djokovic was impenetrable on serve in Shanghai, having never been broken heading into the final, and that trend continued in yesterday’s showpiece as the Serbian faced only one break point all match.
Coric also started the match comfortable on serve, but in typically ruthless Djokovic style, the former world No 1 pounced on his first opportunity to seal a 4-2 lead in the first set.
After seeing out the opener, Djokovic immediately seized control of the second set by breaking Coric in the first game, once again with his first break point chance.
The 13th seed from Croatia also managed to fend off three match points when on serve, with Djokovic shanking an overhead smash on his third chance. But the Serbian made no mistake when serving for the match, holding to love for his 72nd ATP title.
Coric said that he had no complaints about losing to “one of the best in the history of tennis”. In what was the biggest match of his life, he wore heavy strapping on one thigh and has been troubled by a stiff neck that saw him ponder pulling out before the tournament – but he refused to use either issue as an excuse.
“He was the much better player on the court. I was playing good, really, I was really happy how I played,” Coric said. “I felt even if I was serving a little bit better, he’d still return my serves, so there is nothing I can do.
“It was a really good week for me, from basically me thinking on Monday morning I’m going to fly out on Monday evening after my first match [against Stan Wawrinka] to playing my first Masters 1000 final. It’s awesome.”
Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska completed a remarkable week at the Hong Kong Open by thrashing Wang Qiang in the final for her first WTA title yesterday.
Chinese No 1 Wang has been in sparkling form in recent weeks, reaching the semi-finals in Hiroshima, Wuhan and Beijing – as well as winning the title in Guangzhou.
She was at it again in Hong Kong, taking out top seed Elina Svitolina and fourth seed Garbine Muguruza en route to the final.
However, the 26-year-old appeared to run out of steam against world No 102 Yastremska, who ran away with a 6-2, 6-1 victory in 65 minutes.
“[On Saturday], I felt very confident that I could win the title, but in the morning, I woke up and I felt a bit too nervous,” Yastremska, 18, said.
“I trusted myself that I can win, but I didn’t really get deep into those thoughts because I knew that when I go on court, I would forget about everything and just play point by point.”
There were certainly no sign of nerves from Yastremska, whose power and aggression paid off after hitting 33 winners as Wang converted just one of nine break points.
Yastremska clinched the match after a booming serve was returned long by Wang, sparking celebrations from the teenager and her team.
“The last game, I don’t even remember,” Yastremska said. “It was the most tough game during all the tournament, because in your mind, you’re visualizing the way you’re winning.
“But at the same time, you have to stay right now, right here, playing this point, trying to be without any thoughts which can break your mind and your focus.That was the most difficult part for me.”
In yesterday’s earlier final, Caroline Garcia defeated Karolina Pliskova to claim the Tianjin Open
Second seed Garcia edged a tight opening set against top seed Pliskova before earning a 7-6, 6-3 victory, as the Frenchwoman clinched her first title of the season.
Garcia, 24, fought back from 1-5 down in the first set tiebreak to take the lead after more than an hour.
That comeback proved the catalyst for world No 16 Garcia, who stormed into a 5-0 lead in the second set before sealing victory with her first match point.
“It’s very nice for me to win a title again, because the emotion and the feeling after the match point is something very special and very difficult to describe,” Garcia, who won backto-back titles in Wuhan and Beijing last year, said.
“That’s what you’re working on all year long to get, this trophy in your hand and those emotions.”