Novak Djokovic avoids back-to-back defeats with comeback victory against Luca Van Assche at Banja Luka Open
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Updated 19/04/2023 at 19:08 GMT
Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat 18-year-old Luca Van Assche in the Banja Luka Open second round. Djokovic was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters at the last-16 stage last week but avoided back-to-back defeats in ATP events for the first time in a year with the win on Wednesday. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Brit Dan Evans kicked off their Barcelona Open campaigns with a win.
Highlights: Djokovic bounces back to beat Van Assche in Banja Luka round of 16
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic battled from a set down to beat 18-year-old Luca Van Assche 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2 at the Banja Luka Open in Bosnia on Wednesday.
Van Assche took the upper hand by winning the first set in a tie-break, but Djokovic withstood the early challenge from the teenager to rally from behind and avoid a second successive defeat in an entertaining two-hour, 38-minute clash.
“It wasn’t easy,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “This would probably rank as the slowest court, slowest conditions I’ve ever played in, to be honest.
“I couldn’t penetrate through the court. I couldn’t put any ball past him.”
Djokovic issued a fitness update ahead of the tournament, raising concerns over his right elbow he had surgery on five years ago, but was deemed fit enough to kickstart his Banja Luka Open campaign against Van Assche.
This match came less than a week after his Monte Carlo Masters exit following a 4-6 7-5 6-4 defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16, and Djokovic was determined to get back on track during his first professional visit to Bosnia.
After falling behind in the match, Djokovic fought back to take the second set, only to drop serve in the opening game of the deciding set.
The world No. 1 upped the tempo and took his game up a gear by playing with more depth and testing Van Assche’s court coverage.
He stayed aggressive on return, which helped improve his season record to 17-2 and avoid a second successive defeat in ATP events for the first time since last April’s Monte Carlo Masters exit to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“He was on every single ball for a set and a half until I started to get some rhythm going,” Djokovic said. “I’m happy with the way I finished the match.
“Of course, I can always play better, but a win is a win.”
The 35-year-old is aiming to secure his third title of the season and will next meet either countryman Dusan Lajovic or Gregoire Barrere in the quarter-final.
Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitispas set up a round-of-16 clash with Denis Shapovalov at the Barcelona Open after a straight-sets victory over Pedro Cachin.
In a bid to finally win the tournament he has been a two-time finalist - in 2018 and 2021 - Tsitsipas breezed past Cachin 6-4 6-2 in his first challenge.
“I was able to bring good tennis out there on the court, I kept mixing it up. I kept being very aggressive, more than I’m used to, so the whole evaluation is positive. I’m happy with how things evolved over the course of the match.
“It’s one of those matches I was able to figure out from early on, keep up with the pace, and anything that was being thrown at me I was reacting to it very positively and being very smooth on the court.”
The Greek converted all three of his break points during a dominant 79-minute display on Pista Rafa Nadal, showing consistency and delicacy to bounce back from his Monte Carlo quarter-final defeat to Taylor Fritz last week.
“I’m just happy to be here…I’m just enjoying the tennis and hoping ‘why not?’ for the final, but still a very long way to go.”
Briton Dan Evans - seeded 12th - also has high hopes of success in Barcelona, and beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-3 in his second-round match to reach the last 16.
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