Jannik Sinner’s impressive win over Novak Djokovic sends Italy to Davis Cup final | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Italian Jannik Sinner defeated world number one Novak Djokovic twice in one day on Saturday in Malaga, sending Italy into the Davis Cup final with a 2-1 victory over Serbia.
Italy, who won the trophy for the first and only time in 1976, will meet Australia, the 28-time winner, on Sunday.
Sinner, who has now defeated Djokovic three times in four matches in 11 days, kept Italy in the tie by defeating the 24-time Grand Slam winner 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the second singles rubber.
Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego then defeated Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic in the final doubles 6-3, 6-4 to seal the victory, after Kecmanovic had upset Lorenzo Musetti 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-1 in the opener.

Sinner, the world number four, saved three set points against Djokovic in the singles, with the 36-year-old entering in top form.
“I have to be really proud about how I handled the situation,” Sinner went on to say.
“Tomorrow we have a great opportunity, we know this but we try to stay as relaxed as possible, keeping the smile in our head.”
Djokovic, who has seven championships this year, including three Grand Slams, was attempting to push Serbia into the final for the first time in a decade.
Sinner, on the other hand, scored possibly the biggest win of his career, being the first man to beat Djokovic in a Davis Cup singles match since Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in 2011, breaking a 21-match skid.

“Congratulations to Italy for qualifying for (the) finals,” Djokovic said in a statement.
“They deserved it; they played really well, especially Jannik, in singles and doubles against me.”
“He barely missed the ball the entire match — so you can only say congrats and hats down for the performance like that.”
Sinner won the first of their four recent meetings in the ATP Finals group stage, but while Djokovic won the second to win the title, Sinner delivered twice more in front of a sold-out crowd at the Martin Carpena venue.
Djokovic made headlines this week by arguing with rowdy British fans and then expressing his outrage at being asked to take a doping control test before Thursday’s last eight match.

The Serbian was once again displeased by the raucous Italian fans in the doubles defeat, ending a glittering year without the team title he desired.
Sinner, who is 14 years Djokovic’s junior, broke him in the third and fifth games to take a 5-1 lead.
In only 38 minutes, the Italian concluded his brilliant first set with an ace, striking 12 wins to Djokovic’s one.
He let it slip for a minute, double-faulting on the first break point he allowed to fall 3-1 adrift in the second.
When Sinner blasted a forehand wide, Djokovic brutally capitalised, sealing the set with another break.
The Serbian had the upper hand.
Sinner saved two break points and was unable to challenge Djokovic’s serve in the final set.
Sinner appeared to crack in the frantic 10th game, giving up three match points before winning five straight points to tie the game at 5-5. He then broke Djokovic and cruised to victory.
“For me personally it’s a huge disappointment, because I take the responsibility, obviously having three match points, being so close to win it,” Djokovic went on to say.
The Italians won the first set of the doubles by breaking Djokovic’s serve in the sixth game, as the Serbians struggled to connect.
Both teams traded breaks in the second set, with Italy surviving four Serbia break opportunities to tie the game at 3-3.
Between points, Djokovic responded to crowd noise from Italian supporters by jokingly pushing them to make more, before waiving his hands like a conductor.
It was Italy, however, who were on fire, as Sonego’s smash put them up 4-3, Serbia’s bid ending when Djokovic pushed a Sinner serve into the net.
Kecmanovic lost a nail-biting first set against Musetti in the first singles rubber but rebounded magnificently.
He swept to victory with a thunderous forehand winner, dropping to the floor in joy, yet he was left with the opposite emotion by the end of a hard day.
Filippo Volandri’s side will face Lleyton Hewitt’s Australia, who halted Finland’s fairytale run on Friday, in the final 25 years after their last participation.
“For me it’s the first time we can play a final in Davis Cup, it means a lot for us,” he said.
(With inputs from AFP)