World No. 3 Novak Djokovic and Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko scrapped to hard-fought wins as the elite Tennis Masters Cup got off to a pulsating start yesterday.
Djokovic saw off a spirited challenge from Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-3, before Davydenko came from a set down to edge Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) in the Gold Group’s opening round-robin matches.
In yesterday’s opener, Djokovic prevailed in a tight first set and earned a crucial break late in the second for his maiden Masters Cup success after losing all three group matches last year.
PHOTO: AFP
The Australian Open champion soon had the measure of del Potro’s big serve and whipped a forehand on his third break point for a 3-1 lead in the first set.
The Serb was starting to enjoy himself and he consolidated at 4-1, helped by a fabulous backhand drop that landed just inside the line and spun out at a right angle.
The 1.93m del Potro hit back with a break at 5-3, but slammed his racket to the ground in frustration as he gave up the set by netting after a long rally at 5-6.
Del Potro produced two memorable backhand passes to go a break up in the second set, but was broken back immediately as he twice netted.
Djokovic sprayed two backhands of his own and then looped a forehand past the advancing del Potro to break for 5-3, converting the first match point as his opponent netted.
In the later match, Paris Masters champion Tsonga saved early break points to force a first-set tie-break, in which he acrobatically hurdled the net and flashed a 220kph serve, before taking it 8-6.
The two exchanged breaks early in the second and Tsonga, the Australian Open runner-up, produced a leaping forehand volley as he saved three more break points at 2-3.
But Davydenko buried a winner on break and set point at 5-4.
As Tsonga tired, Davydenko broke immediately in the third set and looked on course for a quick finish until the French world No. 7 produced an audacious drop shot to save match point on his own serve.
He then bamboozled Davydenko with another backhand drop to break for 5-4 and whistled a second-serve ace past the Russian to level it 5-5 and pump up the crowd.
Tsonga was in the ascendancy, but the renaissance came juddering to a halt in the decisive tie-break as he double-faulted and committed a series of errors to implode 0-7.
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