MASON, Ohio (AP) – With a qualifier making him chase shots all over the court, Novak Djokovic rallied to avoid another upset in Cincinnati.
Djokovic took a medical timeout in the second set, got a little help in the tiebreaker, and pulled away to a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov on Saturday in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open.
The world’s top-ranked player has never won the tournament – the only one of the nine ATP Masters to elude him – and needed a few mistakes by the 66th-ranked Ukrainian to help him pull it out. He’s 0-4 career in the finals at Cincinnati, where he’s never even won a set.
He needs that one elusive title to become the first player to win all nine ATP Masters during his career.
Roger Federer faced Andy Murray in the other semifinal. Federer, the defending champion, is trying for an unprecedented seventh title in Cincinnati. He’s playing his first tournament since he lost to Djokovic in the title match at Wimbledon. Murray beat Djokovic for the title in Montreal a week ago.
For a while, it looked like Djokovic was going to come up short again.
Trying to become the first qualifier to reach the finals at the Western & Southern Open, Dolgopolov took advantage of Djokovic’s sluggish start and won the first set in 31 minutes.
It wasn’t the first time that Djokovic has fallen behind to him. Dolgopolov got up 7-6, 4-1 at Miami earlier this season before losing in three sets.
Djokovic took a medical timeout after the fifth game of the second set. A trainer checked his lower rib cage on his left side and his abdomen, and Djokovic went back out on court and took it to a tiebreaker. Up 5-4 and serving, Dolgopolov dumped a pair of backhand shots into the net. Djokovic closed out the 67-minute set with a forehand winner.
Dolgopolov committed 20 unforced errors as the third set slipped away. He also took a medical timeout during the final set to get the bottom of his right foot bandaged.
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