Tsitsipas – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was happy with the way he played against rising Spanish star Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Djokovic, seeded at No. 1, handed a 6-2 6-1 loss to Davidovich Fokina to progress into the Rome Masters quarterfinal.
Davidovich Fokina made a nice start to the match, having broken Djokovic in the opening game of the match. But Davidovich Fokina’s lead was short-lived as Djokovic responded with three quick breaks to overturn the deficit and win the opener.
After losing the first set, Davidovich Fokina’s game fell apart as Djokovic started the second set with back-to-back breaks and a 5-0 lead. Davidovich Fokina saved three match points in the sixth game but Djokovic served out for the match in the following game.
“I thought I played well. He started well and broke my serve in the first game. I made some errors, but I managed to break back right away and establish the control and consistency on the court. I think from the back of the court I was just a bit more solid than him,” Djokovic said in his post-match interview.
“He made some unforced errors and double faults in key moments, which obviously helped me get that necessary break forward. I thought I played better, at least 20 or 30 per cent better, than I did against Fritz a few days ago.
I am on a good trajectory and hopefully tomorrow will be even better”.
Tsitsipas, who handed a straight-set defeat to Matteo Berrettini, will be clashing Djokovic in the Rome quarterfinal.
“My next match will be against a Top 10 player, so it is going to be a battle. Both of these guys are in great form. Tsitsipas won Monte-Carlo and Berrettini is just coming off the final in Madrid. I am obviously going to do my best to win that match, whoever I play against,” Djokovic said.