Djokovic Downs Nadal For China Open Title

October 12, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff

Novak Djokovic won the sixth China Open title of his career on Sunday, routing Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-2 in just 91 minutes to win his 29th straight match in Beijing.

From the start, the world number one from Serbia was on his game. He converted on his first break point chance in the opening game, and after consolidating it with a hold, quickly built a 2-0 advantage.

Nadal had a few chances to break throughout the opening set but was just unable too, and Djokovic would break Nadal to take the first set.

The Spaniard called for the trainer early in the second set due to a leg injury, and following the timeout, Djokovic pounced. He broke for a 2-1 lead and never allowed Nadal to get back into it, closing out his sixth title in Beijing.

“The score line, especially in the first set, doesn’t indicate the real battle we had on the court,” said Djokovic. “I’m aware of the fact that veru few points can decide a winner of the matches I play against the biggest rivals, and Rafa is definitely one of them. He’s the kind of player that is a champion and understands the kind of challenge that a big match presents.

That’s why I didn’t want to give him an opportunity to come back to the match and eventually start playing better to dominate the rallies. This positive week definitely encourages me and gives me a lot of confidence for Shanghai.”

Djokovic hit 23 winners overall and converted on four of his five break point chances.

It is the second time in three years that he has beaten Nadal for this title.

“I’m very happy with the way that I played this week, especially because I was able to improve every single match,” Nadal said of his performance afterwards.

Both players will be competing in the Shanghai Rolex Masters this week. 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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