Mubadala WTC: Novak Djokovic routs Karen Khachanov for the perfect start
The world no. 1 and the three-time Mubadala WTC champion Novak Djokovic has made the rock solid start of his 2019 campaign, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-4 6-2 to set the final clash against Kevin Anderson in the repeat of the Wimbledon final from July. Novak was the player to beat in the second part of 2018 and despite a loss he suffered against the young Russian in the final of Paris and against Zverev at the ATP Finals he is a big favorite to dominate again in the season ahead of us and chase another title at the Australian Open.
Novak looked great on the court today, hitting with high intensity and overpowering his rival in the rallies with deep and accurate groundstrokes that left Khachanov unarmed, especially in the second set. Karen broke once in the opening set when Novak served for it at 5-3 but he got broken in the very next game to drop the set and the ground, unable to recover in set number two and give Novak more run for his money. Djokovic grabbed four breaks and he should be very happy with the way he performed in the first match after the off-season, standing as the favorite against Kevin Anderson on Saturday as well.
Novak drew first blood with a break in game four after a forehand error from Karen, serving great in the opening four service games and having a chance to close the opener at 5-3. Out of sudden, Khachanov broke back to reduce the deficit but his effort was in vain, hitting a double fault in the following game to hand the set to Novak. The Serb never looked back, scoring breaks in games six and eight in the second set and sealing the deal after a forehand winner at 5-2, breaking Karen at love and moving into the title match, having a chance to win his first Mubadala crown since 2013.
Semi-final result:
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Karen Khachanov (RUS) 6-4 6-2
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2ET3XCQ
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