Chasing 100th title: Novak Djokovic battles past Cameron Norrie to reach Geneva final

Novak Djokovic has once again reached a final and will be seeking his 100th career title this Saturday at the Geneva Open. The Serb overcame Brit Cameron Norrie in a tight match, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-1, once again delivering a notable performance that will give him confidence as he chases a new milestone on Saturday.

Just a few days ago, things were different for Djokovic, who had no wins on the clay swing (losses to Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi) and had withdrawn from the Rome Open two weeks prior. However, this week he has rediscovered his tennis, impressively defeating Marton Fucsovics (6-2, 6-3) and Matteo Arnaldi (6-4, 6-4) before his encounter with Norrie.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a remarkable start with his serve, boasting an 86% first serve in and winning 95% of those points. Norrie was the first to struggle on his serve, offering his opponent two break opportunities that Djokovic couldn't convert. A single break in the 7th game was enough for "Nole" to take the set comfortably, 6-4, having conceded just three points on his serve throughout the set.

In the second set, it was Norrie who capitalized on his opponent's lower effectiveness to take the lead, with a single break putting him up 4-1, without any trouble on his own serve. The Brit even had a set point when Djokovic was serving at 3-5, but couldn't convert it. Nole, as he has done so many times in his career, recovered at the most difficult moment, getting the break back before everything went to a tie-break. This time, Djokovic squandered a match point, and Norrie took three consecutive points to win the set, 7-6(6).

In the final part of the match, Djokovic wouldn't let the victory slip away. He won 12 of the first 13 points played and went up 3-0. Relying on an impeccable serve, Nole transferred the pressure to his opponent, secured a second break, and ended up taking the set 6-1, conceding just one point on his serve (94%).

In the Geneva final – aiming for his 100th career title – he will face Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, who has shown good adaptation to clay courts this week, having defeated top seed Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. Regardless, the Serb has won all 7 of their previous encounters with Hurkacz, two of them on clay.