Djokovic, Serena rule China Open

1- Novak Djokovic with the men’s singles trophy ...on Sunday. 2- Serena Williams with the women’s singles trophy ...on Sunday.

 

Novak Djokovic won his fourth China Open title in five years on Sunday, prevailing 6-3 6-4 in the final against Rafael Nadal who will replace him as the men’s world number one on Monday.

In the women’s final, top-ranked American Serena Williams landed her 10th title of the season thanks to a powerful 6-2 6-2 victory over Jelena Jankovic in the final of the China Open.

 Djokovic  handed Nadal his first loss on hard court this year, breaking him in the second game of the first set and again in the first game of the second. He served four aces to Nadal’s two and hit 19 winners to the Spaniard’s nine.

Nadal has had the beating of Djokovic this season, coming out on top at the semi-finals at Roland Garros and last month’s final at the US Open, as well as the Canada Masters.

But victory at Beijing’s National Tennis Centre gave Djokovic a degree of revenge and improved his record in the Chinese capital to 19-0.

The second seed only showed rare glimpses of the form that has seen him win 10 titles this year, with his Serbian opponent racing to a 3-0 lead.

“I have to say congratulations to Rafa because he deserves definitely to be number one of the world this year with the season that he has had.”

Djokovic then powered ahead, showing formidable power-hitting and prodigious length on his groundstrokes to take the first set in which he conceded only two points on serve.

The six-time major winner immediately broke in the opening game of the second set and then kept his nerve, holding serve until the conclusion of the match in one hour and 27 minutes.

Serena, who has now won 73 matches in 2013, raced through the opening set hitting 17 winners and landing 71 per cent of her first serves in a dominant all-court display.

But former world No 1 Jankovic, who was playing in her first WTA final since 2011 in Cincinnati, broke in the third game of the next set after Williams pulled up clutching her troubled back, which hindered her semi-final win.

Bizarrely, it was the Serb who took an injury timeout, and quickly lost all her momentum when she returned as the 32-year-old reeled off five games in a row for her second success to prevail in one hour 28 minutes in Beijing.

“I’m really excited – I didn’t think I’d win this tournament starting out, so

I’m really happy to be here holding the trophy,” Williams said on court after capturing her 56th WTA Tour title.