Serbia Open: Djokovic Finds Form In Comeback Win vs. Kecmanovic- For the second straight day at the Serbia Open, Novak Djokovic won a comeback three-setter against an in-form countryman. The World No. 1 battled back from a set and a break down Thursday against Miomir Kecmanovic to advance to the semi-finals in his native Belgrade, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Follow Serbia Open updates on InsideSport.IN
Djokovic extended his win streak against Serbians to 10 matches, improving his record to 27-4 against his countrymen and 36-6 in his home nation.
Serbia Open: World No 1 Novak Djokovic makes GRAND COMEBACK in quarter-final match against Miomir Kecmanovic, beats countryman in three-set thriller
After working through some early struggles and coming to grips with Kecmanovic’s aggressive game, the top seed played some of the best tennis of his limited season in the latter half of the match.
Kecmanovic took the opening set without facing a breakpoint, before an eventful start to the second saw a break chance in each of the first four games. After sitting down for the first changeover down a break, Djokovic began to elevate his precision and consistency from the baseline to level the match.
He redlined in the final game of the two-hour, 18-minute contest, sealing his fourth break of serve with back-to-back forehand winners. He won the final four games of the deciding set, dropping just two points in the process, and did not face a breakpoint in the stanza.
Serbia Open: World No 1 Novak Djokovic makes GRAND COMEBACK in quarter-final match against Miomir Kecmanovic, beats countryman in three-set thriller
Djokovic was happy with the way he held up physically in his opening match, a nearly three-and-a-half-hour win against Laslo Djere. With less than 24 hours to rest, he was again up to the task on Thursday, improving as the match wore on.
The victory is a repeat of the result when Djokovic and Kecmanovic met at the same stage one year ago in Belgrade, with Djokovic now holding a 2-0 ATP Head2Head edge in their series. The 22-year-old Kecmanovic has been one of the most consistent players of the 2022 season. Now at a career-high of No. 38 in the ATP Rankings, he was playing in his fifth consecutive ATP Tour quarter-final. The loss drops him to 19-8 on the year.
Djokovic, chasing a third title at the Serbia Open and a fourth ATP Tour title overall in his home city, awaits the winner of third seed Karen Khachanov’s match against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro.
Serbia Open: World No 1 Novak Djokovic makes GRAND COMEBACK in quarter-final match against Miomir Kecmanovic, beats countryman in three-set thriller
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