Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak to 18 matches to claim a fourth Dubai Championships in five years on Saturday, underlining his status as the world’s best player after beating Tomas Berdych 7-5 6-3 in the final.
The Serb is unbeaten since October, did not drop a set in Dubai and has now won all 13 matches he has played against top-10 opponents since Andy Murray defeated him in last year’s US Open final.
Ultimately, the 25-year-old won because he took his chances, converting three break points out of four, while Berdych only managed to make one of his five count.
Photo: Reuters
Yet it was the Czech who started the stronger, as the world No. 6 dropped only four points in his opening three services games.
Berdych also made the first break of the final, bypassing an onrushing Djokovic with a running lob winner into the corner for a 3-2 lead.
Djokovic responded with a change of tactics, retreating to the baseline as he dug in against the Berdych onslaught.
The Serb looked anguished after a cross-court backhand drifted long, his shoulders drooping to reveal just what a struggle he had in putting any pressure on Berdych.
However, the Czech — who was initially so at ease on serve — eventually wilted under the power, precision and variety of his opponent’s ground strokes.
Berdych missed an easy volley from mid-court that would have delivered a 5-3 lead and then repeated the blunder moments later to give Djokovic a break back for 4-4.
“I was giving him too much time to control the points — that resulted with a break down,” Djokovic told reporters.
“I fight and believe I can come back — that’s something that can eventually decide the winner in these kinds of matches, just hanging in there, waiting for your chance and then going for it,” he said.
Berdych could have made immediate amends, but missed three break points in the next game to reveal a weakness around the net.
At 6-5 behind, Berdych double-faulted to gift Djokovic the set.
“I had a break, but playing with the best returning guy on tour, it’s an advantage but not something really huge,” Berdych said.
Djokovic was rarely troubled in the second set and needed only one chance to take a decisive 5-3 lead, clinching the title with a flat forehand into the corner
MEXICAN OPEN
AFP, ACAPULCO, Mexico
Rafael Nadal destroyed compatriot David Ferrer to win the Mexican Open on Saturday, losing just two games as he claimed his second title in three events since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.
The former world No. 1 routed reigning three-time champion Ferrer 6-0, 6-2.
Since returning from a seven-month absence with a left knee injury last month, Nadal has won 12 of his 13 matches.
“I have had some difficult months, especially during my time away from tennis, but I take with me fond memories of returning to Acapulco,” Nadal said.
“I feel good being back on court,” the Spaniard said. “I have to thank my family and everyone involved in my rehabilitation. It has been a difficult time over the last few months.”
The 11-time Grand Slam winner needed just 65 minutes to clinch his 52nd ATP Tour title, serving brilliantly throughout.
In the women’s final, Italian top seed Sara Errani breezed past second seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-0, 6-4.
DELRAY BEACH
AFP, DELRAY BEACH, Florida
Latvian Ernests Gulbis beat Tommy Haas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2) on Saturday to book a berth in the final of the Delray Beach International Championships against Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
In a matchup of past Delray Beach champions, German second seed Haas squandered three break points in the 11th game of the third set.
Gulbis won the last five points to hold for a 6-5 lead, then won six of the last seven points in the tiebreaker.
France’s Roger-Vasselin upset US top seed John Isner 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
Gulbis, ranked 109th in the world, is seeking his third ATP title at the same event where he won his first tour crown in 2010.
Former world No. 2 Haas was denied a chance at a 14th career title at the same event where he won the 2006 crown.
Roger-Vasselin finished with four aces and three double faults, winning 63 percent of his second-serve points against the American.
BRAZIL TENNIS CUP
AP, FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil
Monica Niculescu of Romania defeated Olga Puchkova of Russia 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the final of the Brazil Tennis Cup to win her first WTA title on Saturday.
The 75th-ranked Romanian broke Puchkova’s serve to go up 5-4 in the final set, then converted on her service game to close out the match in 1 hour, 59 minutes.
“It’s unbelievable,” Niculescu said. “This means a lot, I was so nervous and wanted to win this so much. My game was not brilliant today, but it shows that in tennis if you keep fighting you can manage to win.”
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but