Djokovic beats Cilic to set up dramatic semi-final climax

Madrid, December 3 (BNA): World number one Novak Djokovic kept Serbia’s attempt to reach the Davis Cup final alive when he beat Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-2 to tie the two after Croatia’s Borna Gogo beat Dusan Lajovic in the first singles match. Friday.

The fun semi-final showdown between the traditional Balkan rivals is headed for a crucial duel, with the Serbs facing an uphill battle against the duo of world number one Nikola Mektic and world number one Mate Pavic, Reuters reports.

With Serbia correcting the balance, coach Viktor Troicki made a surprise change for the third game of the match as Nikola Cacic, the team’s only doubles specialist, made way for Filip Krajinovic to partner Djokovic.

He kept Cilic’s powerful serve on his feet before he double-faulted in the ninth game to give Djokovic the lead and then the Serb saved four break points to win the first set.

The Croatian saved a break point in the opening match of the second game but Djokovic made a sprint to deny Cilic a side to claim his 19th consecutive victory in the competition.

Having saved all eight break points he faced in the competition and also fired four aces, Djokovic took the win after sending Cilic a forehand on the baseline.

“Good evening, Madrid, and thank you for coming,” Djokovic said in Spanish after his 18th victory in 20 meetings with Cilic.

“It was always a tough match against Marin, and I know him well. Winning a long first set gave me a lot of confidence in the second set and now we were able to put ourselves in a position to play doubles.

“Playing doubles is very different from playing singles. I don’t play doubles very often and we are facing the best doubles (team) in the world.”

driving seat

Jogo put Croatia in the driving seat when he beat Lajovic 4-6 6-3 6-2 after a superb fight that handed the 279th world number one his third win in the competition this year against a better-ranked opponent.

Gogo beat Lajovic, ranked 33 in the world, after defeating 27th seed Lorenzo Sonego in Croatia’s 2-1 victory over Italy in the quarter-finals, and defeating Australian Alexei Popirin in the group stage.

Lajovic appeared to have the upper hand as he thrust into the opening set as he came back 4-2 and trailed 40-0 on Gogo’s serve, but the 23-year-old Croatian was unmoved and decidedly turned the tide.

Gojo took a 3-0 lead in the second set, and after he broke to lead 4-2 after Lajovic responded, leveled the score thanks to a large serve and stinging key shots that kept Lajovic at the back foot.

Traffic was one-way in the third set as Gojo kept the pressure and went 4-0, sparking wild celebrations among the Croatia fans as he finished the match with a serve winner.

“I fell back in the opening set after I was up 4-2 and 40-0 and took a little lead, but the team and the fans picked me up and I was able to play better in the other two sets,” Gojo said in an in-court interview.

“The pressure in this competition is so much more on everyone and I’ve been able to get some big wins by playing my best here, but the most important thing is that I got the points for the team.”

The Russian Tennis Federation plays Germany in the other semi-final match on Saturday.