Tokyo: World No.1 Novak Djokovic displayed steady recovery of his left shoulder injury Tuesday by defeating Australian challenger, 20-year-old Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-2 at the Japan Open tennis tournament here Tuesday. This was Novak Djokovic’s first competition since pulling out of the US Open.
Popyrin mixed big serves with delicate drop shots to stage courageous offensives against 32-year-old Novak Djokovic. But Djokovic, taking part in the Japan Open for the first time, kept his calm to always stay a step above the Aussie, never giving his opponent a breakpoint while breaking once in the first set and twice in the second set.
Djokovic hit seven aces, against eight by Popyrin, and managed to win points on 84 per cent of his successful first serves. He finished the roughly 90-minute match by winning the final five games straight.
It was Djokovic’s first singles competition since he withdrew from his US Open fourth-round match against Swiss Stan Wawrinka due to a left shoulder injury.
In other matches played on the day, Japanese wild card Taro Daniel, ranked 127, pulled off a stunning upset by defeating second-seeded Borna Coric of Croatia, ranked 14th, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7/5). The match lasted over 150 minutes while qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama defeated French fourth-seed Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-2. Frenchman Gilles Simon cruised by Spanish qualifier Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-0.
AFP