Novak Djokovic dominates Wimbledon showdown, defeats Popyrin in four

Saturday, 06 July 2024 at 22:44

Novak Djokovic (No. 2) defeated Alexei Popyrin (No. 47) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) to advance to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. The 24-times Grand Slam champion continues his quest for an 8th title at the All England Club after another magnificent performance. Djokovic now has 95 wins at Wimbledon, just one shy of equaling his record of 96 victories at the French Open.

In the first set, both players maintained high effectiveness with their first serves, with Popyrin winning 86% of first serve points compared to Djokovic's 92%. The Australian displayed aggressive play, while Djokovic seemed to struggle to find his rhythm. A single break point in the 7th game was enough for Popyrin to take the set 6-4.

However, it wasn't a major issue for Djokovic, who quickly began to assert himself in the second set. He secured a break in the 4th game to take a comfortable 4-1 lead. Popyrin struggled with his second serve, while Djokovic's aggression was evident with 15 winners and frequent net approaches, allowing him to claim the set 6-3.

The momentum carried into the next set as Djokovic secured an early break, which gave him confidence moving forward. The world No. 2 won 100% of points on his first serve and 63% on his second (only conceding three points on serve). On the other hand, Popyrin continued to match Djokovic in his service games but couldn't mount a comeback, with Djokovic taking the set 6-4 once again.

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Popyrin showed great resilience in the latter stages of the match. The Australian put on a commendable performance to stay competitive against the 7-times Wimbledon champion and kept pace throughout the fourth set. With the score at 5-5, Djokovic had three break points in his favor, but Popyrin held firm, and everything was decided in the tie-break.

Ultimately, Djokovic's experience and skill were enough as he comfortably won the tie-break to close out the match after just over 3 hours with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3). His next opponent will be a higher-ranked name on the Tour, facing the 15th seed Holger Rune, who reached the quarterfinals last year and aims to spring a surprise on Djokovic at Wimbledon.