Denis Shapovalov is again within the winner’s circle on the Belgrade Open after defeating native favorite Hamad Medjedovic in straight units within the closing on Saturday. It’s the second ATP Tour title of the Canadian’s profession and first since 2019.
It took seven matches for Shapovalov to carry the trophy in Serbia as he wanted to come back via qualifying. However he was greater than as much as the problem, dropping only one set in Belgrade and dominating his final 4 matches, ending it off with a 6-4, 6-4 win over the 21-year-old Medjedovic, who was contesting his first ATP Tour closing.
The win additionally snaps a five-match dropping streak in finals for Shapovalov, who had not gained since profitable his first title in his first closing in Stockholm in 2019.
As he did for a lot of the week, Shapovalov relied on his dominant serve to assert victory. Within the closing, he fired 13 aces and gained 82 per cent of his first-serve factors. He gained each break level within the match, saving each on his personal serve and changing his two possibilities on the Serbian’s.
A forty five-minute delay to the beginning of the match did appear to throw off both man within the early phases, as each held serve with relative ease via the primary eight video games.
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Medjedovic seemed primed to make it 9 straight holds when he led 30-love on his personal serve at 4-4 however Shapovalov managed to battle again into the sport. From 30-all, the Serb sliced a backhand into the web to arrange the primary break level of the match after which missed a midcourt forehand properly vast to set Shapovalov as much as serve out the set.
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The wheels had been falling off for Medjedovic as he performed a nightmare sport to start out the second set, committing a slew of errors earlier than double-faulting at hand a love break to the Canadian.
It was then Shapovalov’s flip to battle on serve for the primary time within the match as he fell behind 15-40 within the subsequent sport however his supply bailed him out. The Canadian fired two huge serves to erase the break factors and went on to carry, wrapping up the 10-game opening set in simply 32 minutes.
On condition that Shapovalov had not been damaged since his first service sport in his first-round primary draw match, the early break within the second set felt like a stranglehold for the Canadian. It proved to be true as Shapovalov was by no means threatened on serve the remainder of the best way.
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The closest Medjedovic got here to getting the break again was within the eighth sport when he had a 15-30 edge on the Canadian’s serve however Shapovalov was capable of win the following three factors to carry. He didn’t lose greater than two factors in a service sport within the set and when it got here time to serve it out, not like the primary set the place he needed to battle, Shapovalov slammed the door with a maintain to like.
Shapovalov is one in every of two Canadian winners on Saturday as Gabriela Dabrowski was victorious on the WTA Finals. He’ll now hope to hold the nice type to Malaga, Spain, the place he’ll lead Staff Canada’s bid for a second title on the Davis Cup.
