Novak Djokovic, who has not played in China since 2019, celebrated his return with a victory against Alex Michelsen (20 years old, 43rd in the world) after a very lively match. The Serbian, who has made calculated appearances on the circuit, has not played since his 3rd round exit at the US Open against Alexei Popyrin and a meaningless Davis Cup match against Greece’s Ioannis Xilas.
Despite a hesitant start caused by a double fault that cost him an early break and a more difficult end to the match, the world No. 4, who were trailing 3-0, recovered quickly to deliver a solid game overall. Bold and predisposed to take the net, Michelsen, who has been riding a good streak since July (the final in Newport and Winston-Salem, victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Tokyo), tried to take the Serb by the throat . But the challenge of such speed remains difficult given the defensive powers of the reigning Olympic champion, and when we have the upper hand in the back cross.
The Serbian still in the race for the 100th title
Djokovic ended up taking the first set when he won the last four points of a tiebreak when the American ended up breaking. At 4-1 in his favor in the second set, the Serbian earned two double break points in what seemed like a game to be played. This was not included in the breakdown of the concentration of the world No. 4 was tied at 4-4.
The second tie of the game was much more competitive. Djokovic, who inspired him with an incredible point at 2-2 while handling it in the short game, first got two match points, before saving two set points. Excited in this exciting end of the match, however, Michelsen ended up making a few mistakes and lost in a winning serve from Djokovic. The Serbian, who is still in the race to win a 100th title, returns in 8th place in the race for the Masters. He will face the winner of the Wawrinka-Cobolli match in the next round.