Tennis

Djokovic enters the final again at China Open

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-09 15:47

BEIJING - Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic reached his second China Open final on Saturday, beating John Isner of the United States 7-6(1), 6-2 in Beijing.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates after winning his semi-final match against John Isner of the US at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing October 9, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

As the 2.06-meter American stepped on the Lotus Court here, his figure was even more eye-catching than his Serbian rival Novak Djokovic, whose name was more familiar to Chinese fans.

"If you start the match with a break down and playing against one of the best servers in the game, it makes you really frustrated," said Djokovic later in the press conference. "Surprisingly I returned and played well on these return games."

The American shot 7 aces in the first set that lasted nearly for an hour, adding his ATP World Tour Ace number up to 931. Recognizing as one of the future stars of American tennis, Isner entered the professional game three years ago.

Comparing with Isner, second-seeded Djokovic maybe was backward in his height and service, but the wild card entry was also lacking in both his baseline and move.

Unlike their first meet in 2010 Davis Cup first round, where the two put on a thriving 5-set show, Djokovic ended the match in two straight sets. After obtaining the final score, Djokovic seemed to be very exciting -- he even sung with a Serbian song played in the air in front of the crowd.

"It's not the easiest thing playing against a guy who serves 205, 210 kilometers per hour and average," said Djokovic. "I definitely knew the key today is to return well. But yet again, to get him into longer rallies is my only chance to win."

Djokovic will next face either eighth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain or the Croat player Ivan Ljubicic, who eliminated second-seeded Andy Murray in the quaterfinal. According to Djokovic himself, both of them were hard to deal with.