17. 01. 2012. · Third-seeded Novak Djokovic came back from two sets to one down to beat his friend and compatriot world no.47 Viktor Troicki 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 3 hours and 40 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
A break in the sixth game of the opening set was enough for Novak to take it 6-3 in 44 minutes.
Troicki broke Nole’s service in the second game of the second set and then held for 3-0 lead. He was convincing serving for the set and closed it 6-3.
A year older Serbian continued in the same rhythm in the third set. Djokovic looked tired and it seemed the heat affected him more. He couldn’t find his game, Troicki broke him twice, in the third and seventh games, and clinched the set 6-2.
Troicki broke Nole in the opening game of the fourth set and then held with an ace. The world no.3 faced a double break scare in the third and fifth games, but saved three break points and managed to break back in the sixth game to equalise the result to 3-3. The 23-year-old Belgrade native capitalised on his break/set point opportunity in the 12th game and took the set 7-5.
Djokovic was broken again in the first game of the decisive final set, but this time he broke back immediately. He made a crucial break in the fourth game and then held to increase his lead to 4-1. No.3 seed kept the advantage till the end of the match and closed it 6-3 to advance into the second round.
“I’ve been in those situations before, played a lot of long matches in very difficult conditions, feeling very exhausted. You kind of start panicking a little bit when you don’t feel great physically. Then your opponent takes the advantage. Definitely those moments are very challenging for an athlete. But I overcame it and that’s what matters most to me,” said Nole after the match.
Match statistics: aces (4-23), double faults (4-6), winners (41-66), unforced errors (43-61), total points won (159-158)
Novak next faces world no.52 Philipp Petzschner. The German defeated Czech Dusan Lojda in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.
Djokovic and Petzschner have never met before.
