Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the third edition of the Astana Open for his 90th Tour title while also securing his place in this year’s ATP Finals all in one swoop.
The Serbian eased to a 6-3, 6-4 win in 75 minutes to extend his winning streak to nine which began during his triumphant stint at Tel Aviv the previous week.
Djokovic made another fast start in the Astana Open against Tsitsipas, winning the first game to love in just over a minute to signal his intent. With the Greek on the ropes at 3-4, Djokovic displayed his resiliency to carve out the only break point of the set before serving out for the lead.
The two went at each other in the second before Djokovic managed to secure the break in the fifth game when Tsitsipas’ attempted drop found the net. The 21-time Grand Slam champion sealed the win with a backhand winner on his third match point.
It was the ninth time out of nine that Tsitsipas has lost an ATP500 final with Djokovic leading their head-to-head series 8-2 having won the previous seven matches.
The Greek, however, will return to the Top 5 in the ATP Rankings today and still leads all ATP Tour players with 53 match wins this year.
Meanwhile, Djokovic has secured himself a place in the Top 20 in the ATP Live Race to Turin meaning the reigning Wimbledon champion qualifies for the 2022 ATP Finals as a current-year Grand Slam winner.
