Djokovic ends semi slump and sweeps into Athens final; Rybakina enters WTA Finals title showdown

Novak Djokovic dropped serve for only the second time in the competition but still cruised into the final of the ATP event in Athens with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Yannick Hanfmann on Friday.

The 38-year-old Serb took 79 minutes to dispatch the German qualifier and will face either American Sebastian Korda or Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who must win the tournament to secure his place at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.

“I think it was the best tennis I’ve played this tournament,” Djokovic added. “It came at the right time. Hanfmann poses a great threat because he serves big, has a big game, so I needed to really stay focused.”

Djokovic broke his four-match semi-final losing streak. He had fallen in the last four at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the US Open and Shanghai.

His last semi-final victory was at the Geneva clay-court event in May when he went on to beat Hubert Hurkacz in the final for his 100th career singles title. The only men with more are Roger Federer (103 titles) and Jimmy Connors (109).

After missing an early opportunity to break the German qualifier at 2-1 in the first set, Djokovic broke at 3-2 and won the set 6-3.

In the second set, Djokovic dropped serve at 2-1, but immediately responded to level the score at 3-3.

Djokovic broke Hanfmann again in the next game and held serve to win before a noisy, supportive crowd at the event which this year took the place of the short-lived Belgrade Open on the ATP schedule.

“Thank you for filling out this amazing stadium again,” Djokovic told the fans. “I’ve played in some of the most beautiful indoor arenas in the world, but I can definitely say this is one of the top three I’ve ever played in.”

Rybakina topples Pegula: Elena Rybakina came from a set down to dismantle Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 6-3 on Friday and make the WTA Finals title clash.

Pegula dialled up the intensity after an early exchange of breaks in the opening set, as the 2023 runner-up eased to a 4-2 lead when Rybakina appeared to struggle with accuracy due to a shoulder issue sustained during her warm-up a day earlier.

The 31-year-old promptly closed out the first set thanks to Rybakina’s 25th unforced error, but there was a sudden shift in momentum in the next set as she found herself 1-4 behind and in danger of being dragged the distance.

Pegula recovered her rhythm and pushed hard in her bid to draw level in the set, but Rybakina responded fiercely in the 10th game to force a decider, where the pair swapped breaks again in a tight battle.

A forehand into the net from Pegula at the end of the eighth game handed the advantage back to Rybakina, who remained calm to hold in the next game and secure the victory and remain unbeaten in the season finale.

Rybakina sinks Pegula: Elena Rybakina claimed a 10th consecutive victory by defeating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the championship match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh for the first time. The Kazakh fired 15 aces and won 73 percent of her first-serve points on her way to a hard-fought win.

“It was such a tough battle, it’s always very difficult to play against Jessica,” said Rybakina, who is now 3-3 head-to-head against Pegula.

“She started pretty well, I was a bit slow. She broke me, it was not easy to come back but I’m glad I managed to find my way in the second set and win it in this three-set battle.

“Definitely the serve, when I needed it, it helped me. I was trying to stay focused each point, we had some very tough rallies. I’m really happy in the end I managed to push myself a bit more and won it.”

Agence France-Presse