Djokovic makes Astana final after Medvedev retires
Novak Djokovic survived a second-set tiebreaker in the Astana (Kazakhstan) Open semifinals on Saturday shortly after his opponent Daniil Medvedev retired with a leg injury.
Djokovic advanced at 4-6, 7-6 (8-6). He will play third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final.
“I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious,” Djokovic said. “I know Daniil, he’s a great guy, he’s a fighter, he’s a big competitor. ... He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg.
“It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. I was fighting and trying to find a way. I found a way to win the second, but I’m just sad for the tournament and for these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way.”
In the other semifinal, Tsitsipas rallied to beat fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
• Elsewhere: Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz set up an all-American final at the Japan Open after winning three-set semifinals. Tiafoe finally dropped a set in the tournament before beating Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 to reach his second final of the season. Fritz, who spent a week in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 in Seoul last week, fought back Friday in the decisive set after trailing 3-1 to beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
ETC.
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