Djokovic outclasses Youzhny, defends Dubai title

Second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic held his nerves in a rain-delayed Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship final when he outclassed Russian Mikhail Youzhny to successfully defend the title he won 12 months ago.

Re-visit the tense moments of a see-saw final, click here.

When the play resumed on Sunday after the match got rescheduled due to bad weather in Dubai, Djokovic raced to a 3-0 second set lead with opening set already in hand. Youzhny, though had some other ideas in mind as he took full advantage of Djokovic's innumerable unforced errors to level the match at one set a piece.

The decider again saw Djokovic get an early 3-0 lead which the Russian again squandered by breaking the Serb back. As the set progressed, Djokovic grabbed an elusive break in the eighth game and closed out the three hour 21 minute battle with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 scoreline.

"It's a big boost because I believe in myself. Even when I play bad, I know I have the abilities. Today was another good example of how much I believe in myself and how much I fight till the end," Djokovic said.

This is Djokovic's 17th career ATP World Tour singles title. Djokovic pocketed US$ 383,000 and valuable 500 South African Airways ranking points whereas Youzhny settled for 300 ranking points and US$ 180,000 as runner's up check.

Djokovic leads in a rain-abandoned final

Second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic led Russian and arch rival Mikhail Youzhny by a set and a break when mother-nature played her part and continued rain and bad weather forced the organizers to abandon the championship match.

Re-visit the tense moments of the high-quality opening set, click here.

Djokovic made a bad start to the match and lost his serve early on. Although to the Russian's surprise, Djokovic broke back and after another trade of service breaks, grabbed an elusive one in the 12th game to seal the opening set by 7 games to 5. The second set started on a favourable note for the defending champion who pocketed a crucial break in the second game to build a formidable lead.

Although, just when the Serbian star looked close to victory, heavy rain started pouring in and caused the suspension of the match. As weather continued to play spoil sport, the tournament organisers decided to abandon the match. The play will resume on Sunday at 2 pm local time with Djokovic leading the match 7-5, 2-0.

Djokovic outruns Baghdatis in marathon, reaches Dubai Final

Second seed and 2009 champion Novak Djokovic once against proved his supremacy by recording a marathon win over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis to reach the final of the 2010 Barclays Dubai tennis Championships, being played here in the desert city of Dubai, UAE.

Re-live the excitement of the Djokovic-Baghdatis thriller, click here.

Djokovic started the match on a bad note and lost his serve early on. In an immediate break back, the Serb then saw his chances in the opening set tie-break, which eventually the Cypriot dominated and took a head start into the match.

The second set did not change the story much initially and Djokovic found himself down a break again, just to bounce back and level the match by reeling off a series of games. As the match went into a deciding third set, Djokovic got an elusive break in the third game and maintained the lead to complete a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 win in a tussle that lasted two hours and 55 minutes in play.

He now meets Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who overcame the challenge of Austrian Jurgen Melzer with a 7-6, 7-6(4) scoreline.

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