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Dusan Lajovic defeated a stunned Andrey Rublev to win the Serbian Open on Sunday, in a week that marked a stunning and historic victory over world No. 1 and compatriot Novak Djokovic.
The Banja Luka title is the second career championship for 32-year-old Lajovic. He now claims to have won both races at events held in the Balkans.
Lajovic beat Monte Carlo Masters champion Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes, winning eight games against the second seed in the process.
Lajovic, who took a aggressive stance in the area, struck the ball well and beat Rublev around the Banja Luka square.
Dusan Lajovic revealed that he felt he was running on empty at points during the match.
«Honestly, this was probably the hardest match I’ve had in the last six months. I felt tired,» Lajovic said.
“At 5-1 in the third, I couldn’t feel my legs and felt a little dizzy. I knew he would struggle but somehow I pulled him out in the last game. I didn’t even think about it last game. I was playing straight and tried to take the ball early in front. Because of what I did this week, I’m very happy and nervous about winning the ATP [Tour] Title.
“The last time I made it to the final was four years ago and I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs since then. This was probably the most unexpected thing for me this week. On the other hand, even though I didn’t have the best last year, I still believe in myself. This victory means a lot.
Lajovic leads Rublev 2-0 as the 25-year-old earns his first tour-level title of 2019. At ATP 250 on clay, Lajovic moved up 30 places in the rankings and moved back into the top 50, ranking at world No. 40.
The Serbian beat two top 10 opponents for the first time in his career after Lajovic defeated Djokovic and world No. 6 Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.
Rublev was hoping for his second win of the season after winning his first Masters crown in Monte-Carlo last week.
Read more: Regardless of the result, Novak Djokovic will be ranked No. 1 after the Madrid Open
Dusan Lajovic saved three break points in the first set to take a commanding lead in a thrilling final. After a slump at the start of the second set, the Serbian produced another fine performance in the third set as he overcame an early error to claim his 14th win of the season.
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