• Dubai Tennis Championships

Chaotic Djokovic defends Dubai title

ESPN staff
February 28, 2010
Novak Djokovic won his first title of the year in Dubai © Getty Images
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Novak Djokovic defended his Dubai Tennis Championships title with a 7-5 5-7 6-3 victory over Mikhail Youzhny.

The top seed had to wait until Sunday to secure his first title of the year, after heavy rain suspended play on Saturday. But after returning to the court in a commanding position, he had to work hard to claim the victory.

Djokovic was a break up in the second set after winning the opening set 7-5 when play was suspended on Saturday, but after returning to court, it was Youzhny who had the brighter start, and the Russian battled back to take the match to a third set.

In a topsy-turvy second set Youzhny twice battled from a break down, saving a crucial break point at 4-3 down before going on to break Djokovic, whose serve looked shaky, to go 5-4 up and serve for the set. Just as it looked like the sets would be levelled, as he so often seems to do, Djokovic broke straight back to level at 5-5, the ninth break of serve in the match.

But Youzhny broke straight back to serve for the set once more, and at the second time of asking levelled the scores at 1-1.

Djokovic received treatment on his left shoulder before the third set and the momentum was very much in the Russian's favour, but as in the second set, Djokovic stormed to a 3-0 lead. Youzhny battled hard to hold his second service game, and then broke back.

Djokovic secured a crucial break to go 5-3 up when Youzhny hit a return that was inches too long, and he wrapped up the match emphatically, serving the match out to love.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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