Novak Djokovic saved three match points before defeating Gael Monfils 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-1 to reach the Dubai Championships final on Friday...
Novak Djokovic saved three match points before defeating Gael Monfils 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-1 to reach the Dubai Championships final on Friday, describing his victory as “an amazing escape”.
It was the 17th win of the season for the world No 1 and a 17th career win over Frenchman Monfils without a loss.
Djokovic will play on Saturday for a fifth Dubai trophy against Stefanos Tsitsipas after the second seed and 2019 finalist beat Dan Evans 6-2, 6-3.
“It’s anybody’s game [the final] really,” Djokovic said. “He’s won what [eight] matches in a row now from last week in France winning the title.
“It’s not easy. He’s physically fit. I hope I can recover and be at my best because I need to start better than I did tonight.”
The Serbian fought off three Monfils match points in the second-set tiebreaker, as the Frenchman committed forehand and backhand errors on his first two winning chances.
An increasingly weary Monfils blew the third with a double-fault.
Djokovic finally squared the semi-final at one set a-piece on his eighth set point before rolling on to victory in the third set after more than two and a half hours.
“It was an amazing escape,” said Djokovic who now has a 20-match win streak stretching from the end of last...
