Novak Djokovic at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday. Pictures by: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
World number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia yesterday rallied from a set down to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili for a place in the semi-finals as Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain stunned three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka on day four of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
Djokovic, the top seed in Doha, was fully tested by Gerogia’s Basilashvili in their three-set battle on Centre Court before the Serbian wrapped up a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win in 1 hour 53 minutes. It was Djokovic’s second win over Basilashvili.
Earlier, Bautista Agut dismantled Wawrinka’s game as he scripted a 6-4, 6-4 win in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Djokovic, who will be one of the favourites at this month’s Australian Open, praised his opponent after the draining battle under lights.
“Obviously you have to work hard before you get to such matches. He was playing really well from the beginning,” Djokovic said.
“I expected him to. He is probably playing the best tennis of his life in the last 10 months or so,” the Serbian added.
“He’s definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season,” Djokovic, who won the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in 2016 and 2017, said yesterday.
“I am looking forward to playing with (brother) Marko (in the doubles). The dream continues for both of us,” Djokovic said.
Basilashvili suggested an early warning when he broke Djokovic in the very first game of the first set and followed it with another break in game five to surge at 4-1. Djokovic reduced the deficit by breaking Basilashvili in the next game but the Georgian tennis star wrapped up the first set at 6-4 in 42 minutes.
In the second set, Djokovic raced to a 4-2 lead thanks to a service break in the second game. A couple of long returns followed by two unforced errors from Basilashvili helped Djokovic to bag the second set at 6-4. Two service breaks - in games one and five - provided Djokovic the energy to wrap up the third set at 6-4 as Basilashvili sent a return long on match point.
Djokovic, who fired 7 aces in his exciting win, celebrated the win by raising both hands and then pumping the left wrist on his chest.
Earlier, Wawrinka, returning to Doha after 11 years, tripped in the very first game of the match when he let go off a 40-0 cushion through reckless tennis as Agut broke the experienced Swiss for an early lead.
Both players retained their serves until the 10th game when Agut, the seventh seed, bagged the set at 6-4.
In the second set, a similar pattern ensued. In the 10th game, Wawrinka despite being 40-love up, failed to break the Spaniard who went to take the set and the match on an ace.
It was Agut’s first win over Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who was not seeded for this event.
Agut sounded thrilled with the outcome of the 1 hour 45-minute match in which Wawrinka fired 7 aces but still came out second best.
“Of course it’s a great win. Stan is a great player. We both played a good match,” Agut said after his two-set victory. “I had to play really good to beat him. I had to keep my concentration right until the end to beat him,” he added.
“Well, it’s always good for me to stay two months at home before the new season. It is always refreshing to feel that way,” Agut said.
“I get a lot of power. I usually start the season well. I feel good here in the dessert. I really like the conditions here. I look forward to my next match,” Agut said.
Also yesterday, Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic beat Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets. Serving with purpose, Berdych won 6-2, 6-4 in 71 minutes on the Centre Court. It was the first meeting between the two unseeded players.
Berdych, who got a wild card to play the main draw in Doha, did not disappoint his fans at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex with aggressive tennis throughout the entertaining quarter-final played under lights.
In the semi-final today, Berdych will meet Italian Marco Cecchinato who yesterday beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6, 6-2 in the last quarter-final.
