The Serbian conflict of semifinals of the tournament of Banja Luka the one who will measure Miomir Kecmanovicwho closed the day with a victory over the Czech Jiri Lehecka (7-5 and 6-0) already dusan lajovicwho became the surprise star of the competition by dethroning the world number one, his countryman Novak Djokovic in two sets, 6-4 and 7-6(6)in the quarterfinals.
kecmanovic, 33rd in the ATP rankings, took just an hour and a half to overcome Lehecka who melted down in the second set after losing the first. The player from Belgrade, finalist this year in Delray Beach and Estoril, on clay, and with only one title, achieved in Kitzbuhel in 2020, will face Lajovicwhich initiated the farewell to the tournament of the world number one, the Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Lajovic, number 70 in the ATP ranking (6-4 and 7-6(6)), who so far has not won a set against the Belgrade player, achieved one of the best victories of his career.
A month after the start of Roland Garros, Djokovic has yet to find his tone on clay. He was eliminated from the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 in the round of 16, losing to Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Today, in the Bosnian tournament, he left after winning only one match, against the Frenchman Luca Van Assche and with many difficulties, in three sets.
Only two matches were won on clay by the world number one who complained about the slowness of the Banja Luka track where he also showed symptoms of physical discomfort with an injury to his right elbow.
However, he showed his worst version against Lajovic, whom he won comfortably in the two previous meetings they held, in Doha, on hard courts, and in Monte Carlo, in 2018, on brick dust.
Lajovic has only one title in his career, in Umag and a final in Monte Carlo. Both on clay and in 2019. It took him two and a half hours to overcome Djokovic and reach the first semifinals in 2023.
He did not disappoint, however, the second seed, the Russian Andrei Rublev who achieved his seventh straight victory over the Bosnian Damir Dzumhur through 7-5 and 6-3. The Muscovite who won the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 on Sunday will face the Slovakian in the semifinals Alex Molcanwho needed three sets to defeat the Serbian Laslo Djere through 6-2, 4-6 and 7-5.
Source: La Verdad
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