(Málaga) Jannik Sinner saved three match points and defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 on Saturday to help Italy tie 1- 1 against Serbia in the Davis Cup semi-final.
Sinner, who avenged his ATP Finals title defeat six days ago, ended Djokovic’s 21-game Davis Cup singles winning streak.
Djokovic had not lost in singles at this event since he withdrew from a duel against Juan Martin del Potro in 2011 in a semi-final duel against Argentina. Djokovic’s last defeat in a completed singles match at the Davis Cup was in 2009.
Djokovic let three match points slip away before Sinner came from behind and broke him in the next game. The Italian then took a 6-5 lead and served for the match.
In the first clash of the day, Miomir Kecmanovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-1 to give Serbia a 1-0 lead.
It was a third duel between Djokovic and Sinner in 12 days. Sinner defeated Djokovic in the group stage of the ATP Finals, but the latter took the measure of the Italian in the final to sign a seventh title at this tournament on Sunday.
Djokovic and Sinner will battle it out again in doubles later on Saturday. Djokovic will team up with Kecmanovic while Sinner will have Lorenzo Sonego as his teammate.
The winning team will join Australia in the final on Sunday, on the hard court in Malaga, Spain.
In the first match, Musetti recovered from an early break to win the first set tiebreaker. Kecmanovic, however, took the advantage as the match progressed.
Djokovic helped Serbia win its first and only Davis Cup title in 2010. On Thursday, he became the winningest Serbian player in the event’s history by securing his 44th career win, defeating Cameron Norrie.
Serbia is aiming for its first final since 2013, the year in which it lost to the Czech Republic in Belgrade.
The only title recorded by Italy dates back to 1976. Their last final dates back to 1998.
