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Novak Djokovic survived a tough opener against excellent play from Tomas Machac to advance to the second round in Dubai.
In his first competitive match after the Australian Open final, Novak Djokovic survived a tough opener at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, overpowering Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) to reach the second round.
Djokovic cruised with a 6-3 victory in the first set, but Machac with some firepower and exceptional tennis in the second set, would claim a shocking victory at 6-3, forcing a deciding third set.
A tiebreak in the third set saw Djokovic deliver when it mattered most, dominating the tiebreak, and at 5-1 he delivered an excellent return to seal the win.
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The Serb's victory means he has now extended his 2023 unbeaten run to 13-0.
While Machac, ranked No. 131 seed in the world, played outstanding tennis against the top seed. If he keeps playing like this, he'll be in the top 100 very soon.
Other results in the first round
Daniil Medvedev won his tenth consecutive match beating Matteo Armaldi 6-4 6-2 to advance to the second round.
Felix Auger-Aliassime got a big win against Maxime Cressy for 7-6(4) 3-6 6-3 in a 3 hours match with 40 aces.
Alexander Bublik won over Alexander Lazarov 6-1 6-0 after Lazarov retired in the second set due to injury.
Another retirement as Daniel Evans retired in the first set at 2-2, which made Borna Coric the winner.
Christopher O' Connel defeated Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets of 7-5, 6-4.
In an upset of the round, Botic van de Zandschulp overcame Karen Khachanov 7-5, 6-2.
Alexander Zverev came back from a set down to defeat in form Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Pavel Kotov beat Aussie youngster Alexei Popyrin 6-3 5-7 7-6.
Andrey Rublev had it tough against Filip Krajinovic, but he got the job done for 7-5, 6-2.
Also, Tallon Griekspoor defeated Constant Lestienne 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, while Alejandro Davidovich Fokina strolled over Jaziri 6-2, 6-0.
Thanasi Kokkinakis faced little troubles against Quentin Halys, winning the match 6-4, 7-6, and Lorenzo Sonego won Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-5 6-3.
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