Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic overcame a lacklustre start to see off Adrian Mannarino in the second round of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Earlier this week, the 31-year-old said that he wanted to improve certain areas in his game after his opening match against Steve Johnson. He was left facing more questions again on Wednesday against Mannarino, but managed to prevail 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Hitting 20 winners to 35 unforced errors.
“Credit to him, he played very well in the first set,” Djokovic told The Tennis Channel afterwards. “From my side, I haven’t really felt great for a set-and-a-half, struggling to really move around the court and then take the ball early. He used it. He used it well.”
Heading into the match, Djokovic boasted a 3-0 head-to-head record against his French rival and was yet to drop a set against him. His flawless record ended during their first meeting on a hard-court when a lacklustre display from Djokovic enabled Mannarino to capitalise. The Serbian produced a total of 17 unforced errors throughout the opening set. During the seventh game of the match, a Djokovic backhand error granted Mannarino a break for a 4-3 lead. The underdog continued to apply the pressure as he sealed the first set with an ace after 52 minutes of play.
Recovering from the early scare, Djokovic managed to fight his way back with the help of a double break during set number two. A game away from taking the match into a decider, the Wimbledon champion halted proceedings for a medical time out. During his assessment, the Serbian was heard saying that he was experiencing discomfort in his abdominal area. Taking some tablets to combat the issue. Despite the problem, he sealed the second set in the following game with the help of a series of unforced errors from Mannarino. Reviving his chances of winning his first Cincinnati title this week.
Gaining in momentum, Djokovic continued his dominance by winning 13 out of the first 17 points in the decider to swiftly open up a 3-0 lead. Meanwhile, Mannarino’s spirited efforts started to fade. Enabling the tenth seed to close out the match with ease after hitting a serve down the line that his opponent returned out.
“After the doctor visit, I only lost one game. So whatever he gave me worked out well.” He said about closing the match.
This week Djokovic is bidding to become the first man in history to win all nine Masters 1000 titles at least once. He will play Grigor Dimitrov or Mischa Zverev in the next round.
"No shot clock…I don't like it." @DjokerNole shares his thoughts on rule changes following his win.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/bRtn4JM4sG
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 15, 2018
Zverev falls
Third seed Alexander Zverev has crashed out of the tournament following a surprise 7-5, 4-6, 5-7, loss to world No.55 Robin Haase. The German world No.4 struggled to tame his Dutch rival despite boasting a one-set lead. During the two-and-a-half hour roller coaster, Zverev hit 48 winners along with 46 unforced errors. Cincinnati is Zverev’s third consecutive tournament in as many weeks. He won the Citi Open in Washington before falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Rogers Cup last week.
In the third round Haase will face either Bradley Klahn or Pablo Carreno Busta. Last week the Dutch player scored wins over both Kei Nishikori and Denis Shapovalov.
“I think I played well. Today my returns I think were really, really good. I mean, I think the first serve he hit at me was 136, and I just hit it right back. I was good from my side.” Haase commented about his latest win.
Zverev is yet to win a match at the Western and Southern Open in his entire career.
In other matches, Marin Cilic battled past Romania’s Marius Copril 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4.
