Novak Djokovic reaffirmed his dominance at Melbourne Park with a shocking late-night overcome rising star Carlos Alcaraz.
In the most recent chapter of a generational rivalry that has performed out on the largest phases, together with final 12 months’s Paris Olympics gold medal match-up, it was the 37-year-old Djokovic who maintained his hardcourt dominance over Alcaraz with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win.
Defeat was a blow for the 21-year-old Spaniard because the French Open and Wimbledon champion’s bid to develop into the youngest man to finish a profession Grand Slam went up in flames and he was left to digest his third loss to Djokovic on the floor.
Some free pictures initially of the match put Alcaraz on the backfoot however he fired an impressive backhand winner to tug again a break and was rock strong from there, vaulting to a 5-4 lead in a bodily opening set after Djokovic made an error.
Having dropped his serve for a second time, Djokovic took an off-court medical timeout and returned along with his left thigh taped up, however the seventh-seeded Serb couldn’t stop Alcaraz from holding to like with an enormous ace on the finish to clinch the set.
Djokovic was much more aggressive within the second and made a number of forays towards the online to reel off the primary three video games earlier than producing a spectacular backhand overhead smash assisted by the online twine at one level however Alcaraz pulled degree at 3-3.
The momentum shifted once more as Djokovic heaped the strain on the third-seeded Spaniard with heavy ball-striking to say the second set and drew large cheers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd when he broke for a 4-2 after which a 5-3 lead within the third.
Playing like a a lot youthful model of himself, 10-times Melbourne Park champion Djokovic confirmed surgical precision to say the set earlier than breaking early within the subsequent one to tighten his grip on the match.
Alcaraz received a 33-shot rally to rescue a break level whereas down 4-2 within the fourth set and smiled as he gasped for air however Djokovic used all his expertise to seal the victory and arrange a gathering with second-seeded German Alexander Zverev.
Source: www.dailysabah.com