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Djokovic helps Serbia reach Davis Cup final

Novak Djokovic beat Milos Raonic to level the tie at 2-2 © Getty Images

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Serbia reached the Davis Cup final after Janko Tipsarevic won the decisive singles match against Vasek Pospisil to clinch a 3-2 victory over Canada on Sunday.

Tipsarevic beat Pospisil 7-6(3) 6-2 7-6(6) to send Serbia into the final against the Czech Republic, which beat Argentina 3-2 at home.

By winning the doubles rubber on Saturday, Canada had moved within one victory of reaching its first Davis Cup final. But in the opening singles rubber on Sunday, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat Canada's Milos Raonic 7-6(1) 6-2 6-2 to tie the series at 2-2.

Canada had never made the semi-final before, while Serbia won the event in 2010. The final against the Czechs will be played in Serbia in November.

Tipsarevic's straight sets victory was much more dramatic than the result showed. The Serb served for the match while leading 5-3 in the third set, and then wasted four match points in the tiebreaker. He won the match when Postpsil fell on the clay court while trying to reach a passing shot.

"This is fantastic win for me and my country," Tipsarevic said. "It seems I can't have a match without drama."

Djokovic, coming off a four-set loss to Rafael Nadal in the US Open final on Monday, dimmed Canada's chances with one of his trademark displays against the world No. 11 Raonic.

"This is like the World Cup for us," Djokovic said. "Winning the Cup in 2010 gave us players so much confidence."

Djokovic kept the big-serving Canadian at 10 aces, compared to the 34 he had in his five-set victory against Tipsarevic on Friday. He broke Raonic six times in front of some 10,000 boisterous Serbian fans.

Raonic, apparently struggling with an ankle injury he sustained Friday, put up resistance in the first set. But his game started crumbling after being held to a single point in the tiebreaker.

"I felt that I was dealing with anguish and pain," Raonic said. "He really played well in that tiebreaker."

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