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One of the two winning streaks had to come to an end when Novak Djokovic took on Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
It was Medvedev who won his 13th straight match in 18 days, upsetting the world No1 6-4, 6-4.
Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, was hoping to extend his winning streak to 16 this year, and 21 since late last year, but that was not to be.
In an all-Russian final, Medvedev, who was the world No1 for 19 weeks last year, will face the defending champion Andrey Rublev. The world No6 took out his good friend Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9).
Medvedev, winner in Rotterdam and Doha in the previous two weeks, broke Djokovic in the fifth and seventh games of the first set, and even though the Serbian superstar broke back in the eighth game, the result of the set was a foregone conclusion.
As usual, standing way behind the baseline, Medvedev was playing solid tennis. Djokovic showed the rust in his game is yet to shake off – he was out of action for nearly a month after the win in Melbourne – made more mistakes.
In the second set, a Medvedev break in the first game was enough to seal the result.
“Every time I beat Novak, it is amazing feeling. He’s probably the greatest tennis player of all time or at least one of the two or one of the three. Amazing player. It’s always a pleasure to beat him and I don’t mean it in a greedy way. It’s just that every time it gives you an extra boost of confidence. If I was able to beat Novak, I can beat anybody,” said the world No7.
“I think he was trying to find something during the match, in which he didn’t feel his best. We could see it. At least this happens to him as well, because most times we don’t think it’s possible."
Rublev had never won a single set against Zverev in their five previous encounters, but he turned it around this time, saving one set point in the second set to win on his sixth match point after one hour and 58 minutes.
“I was thinking it was going to be a third set. I was preparing mentally for the third set but I somehow saved a set point,” said Rublev, who is looking to become only the third player to win back-to-back titles in Dubai.
“I had a couple of match points but he played well in the end at 9/9, I made a good return and then I said ‘Ok, let’s try to make it here’. I won a crazy rally and I was lucky. It was a super intense tie-break.”
Rublev was quick off the blocks, breaking in the first game. The second seed hit several winners down the line and committed just six unforced errors in the first set.
In the second set, games went according to serves with both the players not getting any chances to break until it was 5-6 with Zverev serving.
Rublev squandered one match point in that 12th game, before sealing victory on his sixth match point, having saved one set point.
RESULTS
SINGLES SEMIFINALS
[2] Andrey Rublev (RUS) beat [7] Alexander Zverev (GER) 6-3, 7-6 (9)
[3] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) beat [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6-4, 6-4
DOUBLES SEMIFINALS
[3] Lloyd Glasspool (GBR)/Harri Heliovaara (FIN) beat [1] Nikola Mektic (CRO)/Mate Pavic (CRO) 6-4, 6-2
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