Djokovic and Alcaraz eye power and glory in Olympic gold medal duel

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Czech teenager Jakub Mensik upset Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4) to win the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, denying the Serb his 100th career title.

The 19-year-old, ranked 54th in the world, claimed his first title on the ATP Tour with an outstanding display of powerful tennis.

The final was delayed by almost six hours due to heavy rain and when the players emerged it was clear that Djokovic had an eye infection. He used eye-drops during a changeover in the first set.

Mensik started strongly, breaking Djokovic’s first serve game to go 2-0 up and the tall, big-serving Czech was dominating until, at 4-2 Djokovic broke back when Mensik found the net.

The set remained on serve from then on, but in the tie-break Mensik’s powerful serve, with two aces, put him in charge from the outset. He opened up a 5-0 lead and although 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic fought back the youngster sealed the set with an overhead volley.

It was the first set that Djokovic had lost in the entire tournament. Twice he lost his footing and ended up on his back, and he changed his footwear between sets.

Mensik had beaten Djokovic by the exact same margin in the first set of their only other meeting in Shanghai before losing in three sets.

This time, however, the momentum appeared to be with him.

The second set was a nip and tuck affair, though, with neither player able to break. Once again Mensik’s power proved decisive in the tie-break and when Djokovic went long on a return to hand him victory he fell to his back in celebration.

“To be honest I don’t know what to say. It feels incredible, obviously,” Mensik said in his on-court interview.

“It was probably the biggest day of my life and I did super, which I’m really glad (about), to show the performance and keep the nerves outside of the court before the match.

“I feel just super happy and I think that the feelings will come later,” he said.

Mensik has made no secret of the fact that he grew up with Djokovic as his idol and after receiving the trophy he said that he started his career in the hope of emulating the Serb.

“There is no harder task for a tennis player than to beat you in the final of a tournament,” he said.

“I am pretty sure that this was just the first of many,” Mensik added, before revealing that he had been close to pulling out of the tournament before his first match due to a knee injury before last minute physiotherapy produced the desired results.

After the match Djokovic admitted he had not felt at his best.

“It’s unfortunate for me. Two tiebreaks, just very weird match, weird day with rain delay and all the things that (were) happening. Honestly, yeah, I didn’t feel my greatest on the court, but it is what it is. Nothing to take away from his victory,” he said.

Asked specifically about his eye problem, the Serb said: “I really prefer not to talk about — there are quite a few things, but I prefer not to... just congratulate him. That’s it. I don’t want to sound like I’m giving excuses here for my loss.”

Djokovic said he had spotted Mensik’s talent a few years ago and invited him to train at his club.

“I saw him play when he was 15 or 16 and invited him, we had some training blocks together. He was training at my club in Belgrade, and, you know, to see his development and evolution is really great, amazing,” he said.

“Never really happy to lose, but he’s one of the very few players that I would be happier to lose to, to be honest.”

The match between the 37-year-old Djokovic and Mensik was the biggest age gap difference in a Masters 1000 final and the biggest age gap of any tour-level final since 1976.

MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala’s remarkable run at the Miami Open came to a brave end with a three-set loss to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday.
In an enthralling battle over 2hrs 24mins, fourth-seeded American Pegula emerged with a 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-3 win to seal a place in Saturday’s final against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka blasted her way into the final with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
The 19-year-old Eala, ranked 140th in the world, had only two WTA main draw victories to her name before arriving in Miami.
She proceeded to beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and world number two Iga Swiatek.
The lowest-ranked semifinalist in the tournament’s history, Eala seriously threatened to go one step further with another accomplished and effervescent display.
The tide looked to have turned against her when Pegula broke to go 3-1 up in the second set, but Eala broke back and her fist pump and look of determination was a sign of things to come.
Eala broke Pegula three times in the set and was broken twice herself but crucially was able to hold when serving for the set at 6-5.
Both players protected their serve better in the deciding set but Eala’s forehand let her down when the American broke to go 5-3 up and she served out for a victory that brought her visible relief.
“Of course there is disappointment right after the match,” said Eala.
“But there are just so many times in tennis where you have to dig through the dirt to look for the positive and I’m just enjoying because there is so much positive around me and I don’t know how many times that happens,” she added.
Playing with a strapped thigh from the outset, Eala turned her ankle mid-way through the second set but said she had not been impacted by the injury.
“I literally gave everything I had, I’m half tape, I’m like a mummy. I did everything and I have no regrets,” she said.
“To have a week like this, the stars need to align and they did this week, and hopefully I can keep that up — that is my goal now, to keep this up,” she added.
Pegula said it had been difficult to play an opponent like Eala.
“I let her back in the match at 3-1 up (second set) and she just started ripping her balls, going for her shots and you just have to weather the storm with people like that. She competes really well,” said the American.
Sabalenka needed just 71 minutes to wrap up her win against the sixth seed Paolini.
The Belarusian, beaten in the Indian Wells final earlier this month by Mirra Andreeva, will appear in the Miami final for the first time in her career.
“I’m super happy with the level I played today. Of course super happy to be in my first Miami Open final,” said Sabalenka.
Sabalenka was never behind against Paolini. She served six aces and broke the Italian’s serve four times.
“I definitely would say that this was one of the best matches in the season so far. I don’t know. I was just so focused on myself, on the things I had to do today,” she said.
“It felt like everything was just going smoothly my way.”
Sabalenka will be keen to banish the memory of defeat in the Indian Wells final and in the Australian Open final, where she lost to Keys.
“The lessons (of those defeats) was I believe focus on myself, not on what’s going on the other side,” she said.
“I think in those finals I was more focusing on my opponents than on myself. I think I just have to bring the same attitude, the same mindset that I had today, I think I have to bring it in the finals,” she said.
“I really feel this time I’m going to do better than I did in the last two finals,” added the 26-year-old.
She is only the sixth woman to reach the finals of both stops on the American ‘Sunshine Swing’ in the same season.