Tennis·ROUNDUP

Djokovic tops Tsitsipas at Astana Open to collect 90th tour title

Novak Djokovic needed only 75 minutes to win his 90th tour title, overcoming third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Astana Open on Sunday.

Krejcikova upsets Swiatek at Agel Open; Fritz defeats Tiafoe to win Japan Open

Serbia's Novak Djokovic poses with a trophy after winning the men's singles final against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Astana Open on Sunday. (Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters)

Novak Djokovic needed only 75 minutes to win his 90th tour title, overcoming third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Astana Open on Sunday.

Djokovic dominated his Greek opponent from the start, winning the first game in little more than a minute. The Serb did not face a break point in the match and hit 15 winners with only seven unforced errors.

It was the Wimbledon champion's fourth title of the year, including Rome and Tel Aviv.

"I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career," the 35-year-old Djokovic said. "Obviously, didn't know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport."

The fourth-seeded Tsitsipas, 24, who was chasing his third title of 2022 after Monte Carlo and Mallorca, saved three of five break points. He won only 42 per cent of his second serve points in contrast to Djokovic's 80 per cent.

Djokovic converted his third match point with a backhand winner for his second straight indoor hardcourt title after winning in Tel Aviv last week.

"You know, 35 is not 25," Djokovic said. "But I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way."

Krejcikova stuns Swiatek to take Agel Open

Iga Swiatek lost in a final for the first time in three years as Barbora Krejcikova claimed her second title in successive weeks at the Agel Open on Sunday.

Home favourite Krejcikova rallied from a set down to win the final 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Krejcikova hit her seventh ace to convert her sixth match point. The Czech prevailed in 3 hours, 16 minutes on an indoor hard-court in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.

French and U.S. Open champion Swiatek brought a 10-win streak into the final while Krejcikova came in with an eight-win streak from taking Tallinn last weekend.

The Czech got the decisive break in the eighth game of the final set before serving the match out to win her fifth career title.

"It feels great," said Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion. She thanked Swiatek "for bringing the best out of me today."

It was only the second loss for Swiatek in her 12 career finals. She was previously beaten by Polona Hercog in her debut final in Lugano in 2019.

After her semifinal victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova on Saturday, Swiatek became the first WTA Tour player since 2017 to achieve 60 wins in a calendar year.

In the first set, Swiatek saved three break points in the third game before building a 5-1 lead. Krejcikova came back with two breaks but Swiatek converted her third set point.

She came back from 4-2 down in the second set before losing the tiebreaker.

Fritz beats Tiafoe in Japan Open final

Taylor Fritz defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an all-American Japan Open final on Sunday.

It was a perfect five days for Fritz in Tokyo, who arrived at the tournament just after the end of his seven days of quarantine in Seoul following a positive COVID-19 test.

"[It is] crazy, I don't even think it's set in just how fast the last four or five days have been," Fritz said after becoming the first American to win the Japan Open since Pete Sampras last won it in 1996.

"It's so crazy, and I couldn't have written it any better."

Tiafoe had come into the final on the back of winning 13 straight singles tiebreakers, but Fritz dominated the final with his aggressive hitting.

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