the serbian Novak Djokovic He emerged unscathed from a duel that unexpectedly turned, against the young Frenchman Luca Van Ascheand he overcame more difficulties than expected, in three sets and with a comeback, by 6-7 (4), 6-3 and 6-2, which brought him to the quarterfinals of the Banja Luka tournament.
Balkan, early favourite, added his second victory on clay on this course after two hours and 42 minutes. This is the time he needs against a hitherto unknown player on the circuit, ranked 87th in the ATP rankings and against whom he has yet to be measured.
In his return to competition after losing against Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16 of the Masters 1,000 in Monte Carlo, Djokovic did not offer his best version. Especially at the beginning, when his rival called him by the first name and won the first set despite the fact that he had three chances to put him on his side.
The world number one had to react and improve, standing in Banja Luka with only one win on clay, against the Russian Ivan Gakhov in Monte Carlo, a tournament in which he returned to competition after a month and a half because he can’t. to play the US tour.
Van Assche, who has matched Djokovic with just two wins on the ATP circuit so far in 2023, at the Estoril tournament against Portuguese Pedro Sousa and in Banja Luka, in the first round against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, gradually declined. before the improvement of the Serbian, who closed the game with some authority.
Djokovic, this year the winner of Melbourne and the Australian Open, the twenty-second Grand Slam of his career, will meet in the quarterfinals with the winner of the match between the Serbian Dusan Lajovic and the Frenchman Gregoire Barrere, eighth favorite, beating Serbian Hamad Medjedovic 7-6 (6) and 7-5.
Results
1st round:
Grégoire Barrère (FRA/N.8) def. Hamad Medkedovic (SRB) 7-6 (8/6), 7-5
Jirí Lehecka (CZE/N.6) def. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 6-4, 6-3
Damir Dzumhur (BIH) def. Liam Broady (GBR) 6-3, 6-0
Juan Pablo Varillas (PER) def. Hugo Gaston (FRA) 7-5, 6-3
2nd round:
Novak Djokovic (SRB/N.1) def. Luca Van Assche (FRA) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2
Alex Molcan (SVK) def. Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-5
Laslo Djere (SRB) def. Borna Coric (CRO/N.3) 6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4
Source: La Verdad
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