Jakub Mensik denied Novak Djokovic his a hundredth tour degree title whereas claiming his personal first win within the Miami Open remaining.
The 19-year-old received 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) as he claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 remaining. The Czech is now the second-youngest Miami champion behind Carlos Alcaraz, who received in 2022 as an 18-year-old.
The defeat left Djokovic with out a title on tour for the reason that ATP Finals in 2023 along with his solely success coming on the Paris Olympics in 2024 and the Serb appeared to wrestle all through the sport with a problem beneath his proper eye.
Mensik, who had misplaced his solely earlier assembly with Djokovic in China, mentioned there was “no tougher process in tennis” than to beat Djokovic within the finals.
“You’re the one I idolised once I was younger. I began taking part in tennis due to you,” he instructed Djokovic after the match.
“However after all I felt actually nice and it’s my time, so I simply tried to deal with the match like I did earlier than in earlier rounds.”
Mensik, who beat world quantity 4 Taylor Fritz within the semi-final and Indian Wells champion Jack Draper in an earlier spherical, broke the six-time Miami champion in his opening service recreation after the match was delayed virtually six hours by rain.
Djokovic levelled as he seized on the one break level Mensik confronted within the match, however struggled on his return and misplaced the primary 5 factors of the opening set tie-break.
He rallied earlier than taking place 7-4 and whereas he discovered some rhythm from the again of the courtroom, he might make no inroads in opposition to the Mensik serve and {the teenager} accomplished victory in one other tie-break within the second set.
Djokovic admitted his opponent – who is eighteen years his junior – was higher and congratulated him on an “unbelievable match”.
“Within the clutch moments, you delivered the products [with] unbelievable serving and only a phenomenal effort mentally as nicely to remain powerful in a tough second,” he mentioned.
Djokovic referred to as it “a bizarre day” and mentioned he “actually prefers to not discuss” his eye.
Nevertheless, he mentioned: “I didn’t really feel my biggest on the courtroom.”
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