Well, it is safe to say no one saw that coming. In an upset heard around the tennis world, Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, the 42nd ranked player in the world, not only beat world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia, but annihilated him in the quarterfinals of the Erste Open in Vienna, Austria. In a head-scratching performance of monumental proportions, Sonego defeated Djokovic 6-2, 6-1.
The fact that Sonego broke Djokovic five times in the match and Djokovic could not deliver a break of serve himself was quite frankly mind-boggling. It seems as which Djokovic is quite frankly ready for some time off. He has already said he will not participate in the ATP Masters 1000 Series event next week in Paris, and one now needs to question what will be Djokovic’s state of mind for the ATP World Tour Finals in London, which will start on November 15.
This was also the first head-to-head meeting between Sonego and Djokovic. In the semifinals, Sonego will now face Daniel Evans of Great Britain in a battle of unseeded players. Evans defeated Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.
In the other semifinal matchup, Kevin Anderson of South Africa will face Andrey Rublev of Russia. Anderson beat the fourth seed Russian, Daniil Medvedev, 6-4, 7-5. While Rublev, the fifth seed, beat Austrian Dominic Thiem, the second seed, 7-6, 6-2.
Of the four players left in the draw, only Anderson has won the Vienna Open before. Anderson won in 2018, as he beat Kei Nishikori of Japan, 6-3, 7-6 in the final. Rublev meanwhile is looking for his second straight ATP Masters 500 Series title. Earlier this month, he beat Borna Coric of Croatia 7-6, 6-4 in the final of the St. Petersburg Open.
For FREE!
