By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Novak Djokovic reeled off five games in a row drubbing a dispirited Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 6-1, to move closer to the semifinals at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Photo credit: Nitto ATP Finals Facebook
One shot turned a tight test into a total thrashing.
Alexander Zverev dumped a double fault to donate the first set.
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Novak Djokovic dropped a dose of misery to detonate the second.
The top-seeded Djokovic reeled off five games in a row drubbing a dispirited Zverev, 6-4, 6-1, in the Nitto ATP Finals at London's O2 Arena.
"I don't think it was breathtaking tennis from both of us, but a win is a win," Djokovic said. "Midway through the second set I started to swing through the ball and he made some unforced errors which allowed me to win."
The world No. 1 virtually locked up his eighth trip to the semifinals of the season-ending event, improving to 2-0 in Group Guga Kuerten play. Djokovic has dropped just 12 games in two victories at the round-robin tournament.
Djokovic, who swept John Isner in his round-robin opener, will officially secure a semifinal spot if Isner defeats Marin Cilic in tonight's match or if Cilic beats Isner in three sets.
Either way, the five-time ATP Finals champion is in prime position to book a weekend spot as he continues his quest to equal Roger Federer's record of six season-ending championships.
The US Open champion picked apart his opponent's second serve winning 13 of 20 points played on the German's second delivery and breaking in three of Zverev's final four service games.
Djokovic did damage both on return and with his forcing forehand., raising his record vs. Top 10 opponents to 13-3 this season.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion plays with more topspin on that stroke and is more skilled changing direction and driving his forehand down the line. Displacing Zverev with some sharp-angled forehands, Djokovic thumped the inside-out forehand with authority and used the drop shot shrewdly at times to drag the gangly 6'6" German forward at times.
Djokovic improved to 51-11 on the season, including a dazzling 33-2 mark since the start of Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Zverev served with command and went toe-to-toe with Djokovic for much of the opening set.
A net-cord pass clipped the tape and skipped over the Serbian's outstretched racquet putting Djokovic in a love-30 bind in the ninth game.
The top seed saved the first break point he faced in the tournament sliding a serve down the middle only to double fault and face a second break point.
In the ensuing rally, Djokovic scraped out a tricky short slice forehand and glided into net as Zverev's lob floated wide.
Djokovic navigated the break-point problems holding for 5-4.
"I didn't want to be 5-4 and a break down playing against Zverev's serve, it was really hard to read his serve, more difficult than Isner," Djokovic said. "But in the second set it was more easy to read him."
Lost opportunity wasn't so easy for Zverev to shake off.
Tied up a bit by a return into the body, Zverev armed a backhand wide to face set point. Following a forehand forward, Zverev hit a smash off the top of the frame that squeezed inside the baseline saving set point.
The third seed saved a second set point whipping a slider serve, but missed a backhand to confront a third set point. Cumulative pressure made Zverev blink. He double-faulted away the 49-minute opener with his first double fault.
Facing the game's premier returner, Zverev served 77 percent with seven aces and more than tripled the world No. 1's winners output—15 to 3—yet still had nothing to show for it as Djokovic used his movement, lock-down defense and scoreboard pressure to squeeze out the lone break.
Assertive court positioning helped a probing Djokovic carve out the second break.
Playing closer to the baseline than the German, Djokovic rushed Zverev into successive errors off the back foot breaking for a 3-1 second-set advantage.
Djokovic drilled a diagonal forehand winner stretching his streak to six straight points backing up the break in the fifth game.
Curling a running forehand pass down the line, Djokovic broke at love extending to 5-1.
The world No. 1 won 13 of the final 14 points as Zverev emotionally capitulated in a 76-minute Djokovic victory, his second in three meetings with the young German.