To earn his eighth Top 10 victory, he struck the ball hard to turn Rublev around and remained composed in the third set.
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Dusan Lajovic won his second tour-level championship in Banja Luka on Sunday, capping off a fantastic week at the Srpska Open. In two hours and 32 minutes, the Serbian defeated Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to end the second seed’s eight-match winning streak. Lajovic, who prevailed over Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-finals in three sets, fired up for his first tour-level championship match of the year. To earn his eighth Top 10 victory, he struck the ball hard to turn Rublev around and remained composed in the third set, serving out the game at the second opportunity.
“Honestly it was probably the toughest match I have had in the past six months. I felt drained,” Lajovic said. “From 5-1 in the third I could not feel my legs and felt a bit dizzy. I knew he was going to fight but somehow I managed to pull it out in the last game. I wasn’t even thinking in the last game. I was just playing automatically and I tried to take the ball early on the forehand. I am thrilled and overwhelmed that I did it this week, that I won an ATP [Tour] title.”
“The last time I was in a final was four years ago and I have been through a lot since then, lots of ups and downs. This was probably the most unexpected thing for me for this week. But on the other side I still believed in myself, even though I did not have the best last year. This victory means a lot.”
In the quarterfinals, Lajovic defeated Novak Djokovic, the world’s top player. The Serbian has now defeated two opponents ranked in the top 10 at the same competition for the first time in his career with his victory over World No. 6 Andrey Rublev. After claiming his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Monte-Carlo the previous week, Rublev was aiming to capture his second championship of the year.
In the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Turin, the 25-year-old is currently ranked sixth. Lajovic performed admirably under pressure in a fun final, fending off all three break points he encountered in the opening set to take the lead. The Serbian produced his best performance in the third set, limiting errors from the baseline to earn his 14th victory after a slump at the beginning of the second set.
In a championship match at the ATP 500, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to cap off an ideal week at the Barcelona Open. The home favourite dominated Pista Rafa Nadal, combining fierce ballstriking, deft forehand drop shots, and inspired defence to win 6-3, 6-4 and win his ninth tour-level title. Alcaraz defeated World No. 5 Tsitsipas in 79 minutes despite dropping serve in the third game of the match. Alcaraz displayed no signs of nervousness in front of his home crowd.
“It is incredible,” Alcaraz said. “To feel this energy and lift the trophy in Barcelona in front of my family and friends, and most members of my team are here as well. Playing this level and to lift the trophy in front of them is a good feeling for me.”
