Djokovic saves match point to beat Korda for Adelaide crown, Sabalenka wins title

Novak Djokovic dug deep to save a match point on the way to a battling 6-7(8) 7-6(3) 6-4 victory over Sebastian Korda in the Adelaide International 1 final yesterday ahead of this month’s Australian Open.A day after he overwhelmed Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final despite sustaining a hamstring injury, Djokovic moved freely on court but was pushed hard by Korda before the Serb made a late charge to deny his opponent a potentially career-defining win."I hope you enjoyed the show tonight,” Djokovic said. "I want to say a few words to Seb and his team. Amazing tournament, amazing effort today. I’ll probably say that you were closer to the victory today than I was. The future is bright for you so just keep going.”Korda broke for a 5-4 lead in a tense first set and was 40-0 up on serve when Djokovic hit back to level the scores, but the world number five came undone in the tiebreak as the American soaked up the pressure to convert his seventh set point.A fuming Djokovic yelled at and banished two members of his entourage from their courtside seats before the second set, in which he uncharacteristically struggled with his returns to allow Korda to dominate the rallies.But with the crowd behind him on his return to Australia after his deportation last year due to his unvaccinated coronavirus status, Djokovic raised his game to save a match point before forcing a tiebreak which the top seed won.Djokovic held for a 5-4 lead in the final set and the 35-year-old closed out victory with a break of serve as Korda finally felt the pressure and double-faulted before making two errors. Djokovic thanked his team for tolerating him in good and bad times."Today I’m sure they didn’t have a blast with me going back and forth with them,” Djokovic said before addressing the crowd. "It definitely felt like playing at home. You guys made me feel very welcome, so thank you.”Victory also helped Djokovic go level with his great rival Rafa Nadal on 92 ATP singles titles in the open era, with only Ivan Lendl (94), Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) ahead of the duo. Djokovic is bidding for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title at the Jan. 16-29 tournament to draw level with Nadal on 22 Grand Slam titles.Sabalenka beats Noskova to win title in AdelaideAryna Sabalenka warmed up for the Australian Open by capturing her 11th WTA Tour title with a 6-3 7-6(4) win over teenaged Czech qualifier Linda Noskova in the Adelaide International 1 final yesterday.The big-hitting Sabalenka made a sluggish start to the WTA 500 event this week before hitting her stride and she was flying in the first set against the giant-killing 18-year-old, taking charge of rallies from the baseline to grab the advantage.Noskova, who had defeated ailing top seed Ons Jabeur in the semi-final after wins over the higher-ranked Daria Kasatkina and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, took the tight second set to a tiebreak where Sabalenka switched gears.A crosscourt winner set up three matchpoints for Sabalenka and the world number five double-faulted before closing out the contest with a booming serve for her first title in almost two years and a boost before the Jan. 16-29 Australian Open."I’m super happy with another title. It was great week. I enjoyed every moment in Adelaide. So just super happy with my performance this week,” Sabalenka, who bagged her first title since Madrid in 2021, said. "I almost forgot how it feels to have the title.”The Belarusian said she was looking forward to the year’s first Grand Slam after reaching the round of 16 in 2022."I just feel that I’m ready to show my best and I’m ready for a big fight,” Sabalenka said. "Again, you never know what’s going to happen. I just want to control what I can and just do my best.”GAUFF TRIUMPHS IN AUCKLANDAmerican Coco Gauff also made a title-winning start to her season, comfortably beating junior Roland Garros champion Rebeka Masarova 6-1 6-1 in rain-affected Auckland Classic final.The top seed did not drop a set all week en route to the third crown of her career and first since the 2021 Parma title."It’s been great,” Gauff said. "Honestly a great week for me despite the rain; I can’t ask for a better start to my season.”