Belgrade: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will meet Slovak qualifier Alex Molcan in the final of the Belgrade Open here on Saturday.
Djokovic was stretched to three sets by Slovakian qualifier Andrej Martin in the semi-finals before the Serbian won 6-1, 4-6, 6-0. The win helped Djokovic secure his maiden entry into an ATP Tour final on home soil since 2011.
In the other semi-final match, Molcan defeated eighth seed Argentinian Federico Delbonis 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m super excited to play in front of a Serbian crowd. This is my hometown. I’m always excited, but also nervous, coming out on the court and playing in front of my home crowd,” Djokovic told atptour.com.
“It’s a very unique feeling. You feel a lot of pressure and expectations. But I’m just happy to fight for a trophy tomorrow.”
Djokovic was in full flight as he breezed through the opening set, but his opponent was by no means rolling over. Martin, who took down third seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia and fifth seed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia en route to the semi-finals, did well to hang on with the world No. 1 from the first point.
