April 23, (THEWILL) – Dusan Lajovic stunned Andrey Rublev in a thrilling Banja Luka final, securing his second career ATP title with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
The Serbian, ranked 70th in the world, ended Rublev’s eight-match winning streak that began with his Monte Carlo Masters triumph last week. Lajovic had earlier eliminated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, and he proved his mettle once again in the final.
Lajovic dominated the final set, racing to a 5-1 lead. However, Rublev fought back strongly, forcing his opponent to battle hard for every point. The match lasted for two hours and 32 minutes, with Lajovic finally triumphing in the last game.
After the match, the exhausted Lajovic admitted that it was the toughest match he had played in six months. Lajovic’s previous ATP title had come in Umag in 2019, also on clay. With this victory, he has once again established himself as a player to watch out for on clay. Rublev, on the other hand, will be disappointed to have missed out on his ninth consecutive victory.
The Banja Luka final provided tennis fans with an enthralling display of skill and determination from both players while it brought the name Lajovic, the one who knocked out Djokovic and bested Rublev, to the limelight.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
