Novak Djokovic successfully
saved a bad afternoon to beat
Frances Tiafoe
in the second round of the Australian Open.
The Serbian sweated for three and a half hours to contain an opponent who was playing the game heads or tails, a volcanic tennis player who ended up entangling himself with his head in the last games.
Djokovic, missed with the backhand, grabbed at his service to move the match forward.
The world number one won 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2) and 6-3.
His next rival will come out of the duel between
Taylor Fritz
and
Reilly Opelka
.
It painted the most placid night for Djokovic, who jumped into the Rod Laver Arena chasing flies.
Pam!
Pam!
Pam!
Three direct aces and a quarter that Tiafoe could even return to his half court.
The American was slow to enter the game and when he had both feet inside he was 3-0 down.
The Serbian must have seen it so easily that he dropped a gear without warning.
The oxygen Tiafoe didn't need.
The American is a tribune tennis player, one of those who likes to look for food in the stands.
And how not to take advantage of it in Australia, for a tournament in which the audience is not a Zoom screen and decibels are not canned.
Tiafoe went upstairs.
He began to stick his fist out, to show his tongue.
Signs that he was meeting.
He began to go up to the net, to risk with the blows.
Signs that it was growing.
Djokovic negotiated his early lead to save the first set, but he already had Tiafoe in the inning.
How different might the game have been if Nole had taken advantage of any of the three break balls that he had at the beginning of the second heat, a 40-0 with 1-1 that the Maryland man saved with the same courage with which the rest developed of the evening.
He liked the American, daring each time one step further.
Risking with the serve, going up to the net without measure (only 54% effective).
Tossing coins in the air, landing Djokovic with a tremendous drop.
He nodded, encouraged the audience, stuck out his tongue.
He was yelling at his bench.
"I love it! I love it!"
Djokovic's awakening coincided with Tiafoe's peak.
The American did everything possible to shorten the points and put everything in.
He danced on the edge.
With two break balls and a set for the Serbian, he responded with a great serve and a two-handed blowback.
He again forced sudden death and put his hand to his ear to spur the audience.
Perhaps he also spurred Nole, who passed him over (7-2).
On a bad day with the backhand, Djokovic sought refuge in the service.
He won 84% of the points he played with the first serve and 59% with the second.
It was impenetrable to the rest of Tiafoe, who barely had three break balls in the entire match.
14 had Nole.
And the American, who did not stop bubbling throughout the game, ended up overflowing.
The spark jumped with a warning, the third of the game.
With 3-3 and 30-30.
The protest was followed by an error, and the break by a more fiery protest.
And to the protest two more errors and the errors a blank game.
He protested even the balls that the hawk's eye sang, because in this tournament the linesman is electronic.
Tiafoe, entangled, ended up giving up the game with a double fault.
Thiem and Serena victories
For the rest of the day,
Dominic Thiem
, who is looking to revalidate his great 2020, dispatched Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 6-0 and 6-2, and will face the winner of the duel between Nick Kyrgios and Ugo Humbert;
the 'Peque' Schwartzman easily beat Alexandre Muller (6-2, 6-0, 6-3) and will play the third round against Aslan Karatsev, another rival from the previous one.
In the women's team, Serena Williams beat Nina Stojanovic 6-3 and 6-0 and will face the Russian Anastasia Potapova.
Bianca Andreescu, who reappeared at this Australian Open after 15 months, fell to Su-Wei Hsieh, world number 71, 6-3, 6-2.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
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