Djokovic Downs Shapovalov, Sets Medvedev Showdown In Adelaide
Novak Djokovic came through some staunch resistance from Denis Shapovalov on Friday at the Adelaide International 1, where the top-seeded Serbian pulled away to a 6-3, 6-4 quarter-final victory at the ATP 250 event.
An entertaining one-hour, 55-minute matchup provided rich entertainment for a vocal Adelaide crowd, which was treated to some ferocious baseline exchanges as Shapovalov went toe-to-toe with the 91-time tour-level titlist Djokovic. The Serbian was more clinical at key moments, however, and three breaks of serve across the two sets were enough for him to complete his 21st victory in his past 22 tour-level matches.
Djokovic’s win sets a blockbuster semi-final clash with third seed Daniil Medvedev in South Australia. The Serbian leads 8-4 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with the World No. 7, with his tally including victory in a marathon three-set battle at November’s Nitto ATP Finals.
He's the master of turning defence to offence ????@DjokerNole flips the script on Shapovalov at #AdelaideTennis. pic.twitter.com/ZNU62d9V7F
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 6, 2023
Djokovic entered the quarter-final clash with a 7-0 ATP Head2Head record against the 23-year-old Shapovalov, but the Serbian faced three break points in an intriguing first set during which the Canadian’s big groundstrokes kept him under pressure. Shapovalov was left to rue not converting those chances, however, as the top-seeded Serbian made no mistake with a break point of his own to move 5-3 ahead before serving out for the set.
The top seed’s combination of tireless defence and penetrating attack appeared to have ground Shapovalov down after he broke for 2-1 in the second, but the Canadian hit back with some sharp returning to level at 3-3. The World No. 18 could not hold off Djokovic in a marathon ninth game, however, and the Serbian’s third break of the match proved a decisive one.
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It represented another impressive win for Djokovic in a city where he lifted the title at a previously held ATP Tour event in 2007. The 35-year-old will be feeling confident as he prepares to take on Medvedev in a heavyweight early-season clash.
“Hopefully [it will be] another long night,” said Djokovic of his clash with Medvedev. “I don’t think there’s going to be too many short points tomorrow unless we both serve well. Normally when you play Daniil, you have to be ready to go the distance, physically, mentally, game-wise.
“He’s definitely one of the best players in the world for the past five years. He’s established himself as a Grand Slam winner and a No. 1 in the world, so he’s someone I respect a lot. We had some amazing battles over the years and I’m hoping for another good battle tomorrow.”
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