Novak Djokovic Wins His Sixth Italian Open Championship
Novak Djokovic won his sixth Italian Open championship on Sunday with a 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) triumph over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rome. At the same time, Iga Swiatek claimed her fifth straight event victory by defeating Ons Jabeur in consecutive sets.
The Covid-19 immunization scandal dominated a few months of the season, but the 34-year-old returned to form by winning his first tournament of the year.
Djokovic beat Tsitsipas in straight sets
Djokovic beat Tsitsipas in straight sets to win the Monte Carlo Masters, the final major tournament before the start of the French Open later this month.
After weeks of focusing on his game, Novak Djokovic stated, “I knew that my greatest shape on clay normally comes around Rome time,” before the match.
“So coming into Roland Garros with a title couldn’t be better at this point,” Nadal said.
After last year’s five-set French Open final victory for the Serb in Paris came Sunday’s rematch between the two, but it lacked the intensity of that epic encounter.
Djokovic breezed through Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had also reached the semi-finals of the Madrid Open just a week earlier and is the men’s tour’s leading winner so far this season with eight victories.
World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas crumbled in the first set and appeared reluctant to take on Novak Djokovic. However, Tsitsipas showed more fights in the second set. And eventually lost in a tie break after throwing away the group after serving for the match.
See also: All Blacks set for mid-week game in first Bledisloe Cup clash against Wallabies
Emotional Novak
It was then that an emotional Djokovic spoke to the fans in Italian, saying that his son Stefan was competing in his first-ever tennis tournament and thanking them for their support.
Later, he disclosed that Djokovic Junior had won a minor club championship in Serbia. He was beaming with joy.
Iga Swiatek stated that she would treat Roland Garros like “any other tournament” after retaining the women’s title by defeating Jabeur 6-2, 6-2.
Swiatek, ranked number one globally, shed tears of delight. After winning her 28th consecutive match and will be a prohibitive favorite in Paris.
Swiatek stated, “I’m going to treat it like any other tournament; I believe everything will be great, and I’ll be able to keep it that way.”
The 20-year-old Pole has lost just one set in her last 20 matches. And handled Jabeur efficiently in a lopsided Rome final.
Last week, Tunisia’s Jabeur made history by becoming the first Arab or African woman to win a WTA 1000 title. However, she could not continue her 11-match winning streak against her tenacious opponent.
Jabeur entered her maiden Rome final on a scorching Foro Italico center court. After two exciting comeback victories against Daria Kasatkina and Maria Sakkara.
She had three break points in game seven of the second set. To bring the score to 4-3, but she lost the game after squandering another break opportunity at deuce.
“When she double-faulted at deuce, I wondered why she hadn’t done that a point or two earlier,” remarked Jabeur.
After reaching her second consecutive French Open final. Jabeur has risen one spot in the world rankings to sixth and is a formidable opponent at the French Open.
Read more: EJ Obiena Retains Title and Resets SEA Games Pole Vault Record in Hanoi Vietnam
