Novak Djokovic was not expected to dominate the field like he did last week at the ATP 500 event in Beijing. Though he has won the last four times he had played there, the Serbian was coming off a U.S Open Series slump, and his form was uncertain.
But Beijing brings out the best in Djokovic. He had won four times there before competing this year and credits the pollution for his great form there- it slows the balls down and gives him the time he needs to get the most out of his aggressive baseline game.
In his first round match, Djokovic thrashed Guillermo Garcia Lopez 6-2, 6-1, increasing his head to head lead over the Spaniard to 7-0. Djokovic won 66 percent of his returns and broke Lopez 6 times. Lopez did manage to break twice, however Djokovic won 61 percent of points on serve to ensure he was able to take full advantage of his excellent return game.
In the second round, Djokovic beat Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 7-5. The scoreline is a little flattering for the Canadian, however, and a testament to his serving strength. Djokovic took the match in 73 minutes.
In the quarter-final, Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4. Dimitrov has struggled since his Wimbledon semi-final finish, however he has the game to take Djokovic on, but not in Beijing.
Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals. Murray did challenge Djokovic in the second set when he led by a break, however Djokovic won 12 of the last 13 points when trailing 3-4 to make the final.
In the final, Djokovic led Tomas Berdych 6-0, 5-0 before winning the match 6-0, 6-2. The win pushed Berdych to say Djokovic was the best player he had ever played against. High praise for a player well worthy of it.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
thetennisreview 
Leave a comment