Determined Djokovic Through To Second Consecutive Final

© Barclays Dubai Tennis ChampionshipsNovak Djokovic will attempt to defend his Dubai title on Saturday.

Defending Champion just one step away from retaining title and delighting local Serb population

Defending Champion Novak Djokovic rose to the occasion in front of a lively capacity crowd at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on Friday, taking an energy-sapping two hours 55-minutes to overcome charismatic Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-7 6-3 6-4 and advance to Saturday’s final.

Djokovic, who claimed victory in front of large numbers of Dubai’s Serb population, will now play Mikhail Youzhny, after the Russian reached his second final at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships when he defeated Austria’s Jurgen Melzer 7-5 7-6.

It was the third consecutive match that the second-seeded Serb has been taken to three sets, and it appeared for a long period as Baghdatis would halt Djokovic’s bid to successfully defend a title for the first time.

Djokovic was under pressure from the start, fighting off two break points in his opening service game, and although he broke serve twice, for 3-2 and 4-3, Baghdatis broke back each time in the next game.

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Baghdatis then took the tiebreak with ease, and had plenty of chances to take hold of the second set with a remarkable 11 break points. But he converted only one, to lead 2-1, and Djokovic quickly leveled at 2-2 with a dropshot.

As the match reached a critical stage, it was Djokovic who came through by breaking to lead 5-3 when Baghdatis netted a forehand.

The final set was decided by just one break of serve, and that came on Djokovic’s third break point when Baghdatis netted another forehand to give him a 2-1 lead.

"It's incredible struggle again. Losing the first set and coming back. Playing almost three hours against somebody that keeps the ball in the court in the rally for a long time," said Djokovic. "And, you know, it was very close. Every game was on the edge, I think.

"Still my serve wasn't on the level that I wanted it to be. A lot of double faults, a lot of breakpoints saved or lost or whatever, but a lot of breakpoints in general. So that is something that I really don't want to have anymore. When you have a good serve it gives you a little more advantage, free points, and mental confidence. I didn't have that in today's match. So I had to work it out with my legs and fighting spirit, I guess."

Seventh seeded Youzhny, who lost the 2007 final to Roger Federer, was under pressure throughout two hour 13-minute battle, and after games went with serve, he faced the first break point of the match when down 5-4.

Melzer, though, netted a forehand to end an 18-stroke rally and lose the set point, and was then broken himself in the next game when Youzhny executed a perfectly-placed lob that Melzer didn’t even bother trying to reach.

Youzhny then served out the first set to love, and went on to hold a break point at 2-2 in the second. He netted a return to lose that opportunity, and then escaped a break point himself in the next game when Melzer made a backhand error.

Youzhny earned a further break point at 4-4 which Melzer saved with a smash, and in a desperately tight tiebreak just one break at 2-2 decided the outcome.

"It was a tough match, actually. It was really close for both players," said Youzhny. "I think Jurgen played really well today. He was aggressive. He won a lot of good points. So for me it was really tough."

The Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, which is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free, continues until February 27th.