Novak Djokovic extends winning streak to 15 matches in 2023
ATP
Is there someone who can stop Novak Djokovic in 2023? So far, the answer is no.
After winning in Adelaide and capturing his 22nd Grand Slam title in Melbourne, the 35-year-old signed up for the 2023 Dubai Championships, where he's the first-seeded player.
In the first round, he had to fight his way past Tomas Machac, but already in the second round, he dominated against Tallon Griekspoor.
In the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 event in the United Arab Emirates, the experienced Serbian player met one of the seeded players, No. 5 Hubert Hurkacz, who he beat in all four of their previous meetings.
This time, the Pole wanted to stop Djokovic's dominance. But he didn't start well to produce a shocking loss. Djokovic broke already his second serve in the match and got off to a quick start, leading 4-1.
The Serbian then controlled the first set and didn't allow Hurkacz to cause any damage on his serve, winning the first set 6-3.
The second set was much closer; both players produced superb levels on their serve in the first nine games, not losing more than one point. But then, Djokovic faced a 0-30 deficit in the tenth game as Hurkacz was close to taking the match into a decider.
But the five-time Dubai Championships winner didn't fold under pressure. Moreover, he increased the intensity on Hurkacz's serve, and in the longest game of the match, he got the crucial break after using his fifth break point of that game.
After an hour and 20 minutes, Djokovic won the match 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals, where he will meet either Daniil Medvedev or Borna Coric.
In the match, the Serbian player produced 19 winners and made only 7 unforced errors, and while his opponent lost easily in two sets, Hurkacz's level was also quite solid, as he hit 21 winners and made 14 unforced errors.
