BELGRADE: The Russian Tennis player Andrey Rublev completed his Serbia Open debut on a high as the eighth-ranked player defeated the top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the hard-fought final to win Serbia Open, here on Sunday.
In an intense final, Rublev displayed grit and determination to see off the home favourite and the top-ranked player Djokovic as he hit with relentless power and intensity.
Rublev found his range in an intriguing final, demonstrating strong footwork to dictate on a powerful forehand.
The second seed kept Djokovic deep behind the baseline, cutting at the ball with big cuts to pull the Serbian around the court.
Rublev saved five set points in the second set to force a tie-break, and while he couldn’t stop Djokovic from tying the match, Rublev regrouped in the decider, looking the fitter of the two, to win after two hours and 29 minutes.
Following this triumph, Rublev has now levelled with the Spaniard Rafael Nadal for the most tour-level titles in 2022.
The world number one Djokovic, who featured in the third event this season, is yet to win a tour-level title this year.
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