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Failing to win the first edition of the Belgrade Open in April, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic has a new chance to lift the trophy in front of the home fans this week. Deciding to compete in his hometown just before Roland Garros, Novak defeated Mats Moraing and Federico Coria to reach the semis, moving two wins away from the first title in Serbia in ten years.
In the quarters, Djokovic ousted Federico Coria 6-1, 6-0 in 55 minutes, playing on a high level and producing a flawless performance, especially in the second set. It was Novak's 952nd ATP win, leaving Guillermo Vilas on 951 and becoming the fifth most successful player in the Open era in that segment.
Djokovic lost eight points behind the initial shot and lost serve once while already in front. Novak stole the rival's serve six times to race over the top in one of his best performances in 2021. An 18-time Major winner held at 15 in the opening game and grabbed a break after a short forehand crosscourt winner for 2-0.
The home favorite confirmed the advantage with a hold at 15 and secured another break that sent him 4-0 up. Out of a sudden, Federico pulled one break back at love with a forehand winner to reduce the deficit and avoid a bagel.
Novak Djokovic lost only one game against Federico Coria in the Serbia Open quarters.
From that moment on, Djokovic claimed eight straight games to move over the top in no time. World no. 1 grabbed a break at the beginning of the second set and held at love with an ace to confirm the advantage.
Djokovic landed a forehand winner that pushed him 4-0 in front, and it was all over when he fired a service winner in game six for a routine victory and a place in the semis. "You won't always want to play like this; it's not always possible.
But I think this definitely helps me feel better on the court. I think everything worked perfectly for me today. It was the first time that I played against Coria, and I tried to impose an aggressive style of tennis from the very beginning and not allow him to have too much time to play around. I played a phenomenal second set, really flawless," Novak Djokovic said.