Spain, Nov 24 (IANS): Novak Djokovic announced his arrival at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga with a victory that secured Serbia a semifinal clash against Italy.
The world No.1 won his 40th Davis Cup singles match with a 6-4 6-4 Win over Britain's Cameron Norrie, paving the way for another meeting with Italy's Jannik Sinner on Saturday, less than a week after the two contested the championship match at the ATP Finals in Turin, reports 'daviscup.com'.
Djokovic appeared to be suffering from a cold, using a tissue to wipe his nose between points, yet he still produced a performance of immaculate quality and precision with his laser-like forehand firing as he found a way past a battling Norrie.
Djokovic broke the Norrie serve at 3-2 in the first set and closed it out despite being distracted by a disruptive fan.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Djokovic breaking in the opening game; he didn't face a break point at any time in the match as he sealed the victory in one hour and 41 minutes.
This win extended Djokovic's unbeaten run in Davis Cup singles matches to 21 and, remarkably, the 36-year-old has not lost a competitive singles match in the competition since March 2009.
"Cameron Norrie is a great player and he battled hard out there," Djokovic said in his on-court interview. "I haven't played too many left handers lately, so it is great to finish off the job.
"Playing for your country is always the greatest pressure and motivation. After a long season, we can feel it in the legs.
"Now we play Italy. They are a very strong nation. We are going to fight and leave it all out on the court."
Djokovic wrapped up the win for Serbia after a classy performance from Miomir Kecmanovic, who beat Jack Draper 7-6(2) 7-6(6) in a keenly contested opening match.
Draper started against Kecmanovic with three booming aces, as he gave the thousands of British fans in the stands of the Martin Carpena arena an early chance to make their presence felt.
Yet the rock solid Kecmanovic would prove to be a formidable opponent in an opening set that saw the Serbian world No.55, who was selected ahead of higher-ranked compatriot Laslo Djere, create the better chances.
A sizzling backhand passing shot created one of two set-points on Draper's serve at 5-4, with the Brit holding to come through that game, saving one of the break points with an audacious drop shot.
Draper got into the tie-break, yet a double fault on his first service handed Kecmanovic a chance to cement his authority and a second double fault from the Brit at 4-2 gave the Serbian an advantage he would not surrender as he deservedly took a high-quality first set.
Kecmanovic's impressive level of tennis continued in the second set, with his levels of consistency giving Draper limited opportunities to make an impact in his service games, with the second set also decided by a tie-break.
A brilliant lob from Kecmanovic gave him an early advantage, with Draper's difficulty returning serves directed wide to his backhand a recurring narrative that gave the Serb a chance to close out the match as the clock ticked a minute over the two-hour mark.
"I definitely felt the pressure and the weight of the moment but I'm super happy that I was able to stay calm, stay focused and get the win," said Kecmanovic.
"I feel lucky to be a part of this group. It's just a group of guys who have been playing unbelievable and have had great careers. It just feels good to be a part of that group who have been doing so well."
Serbia will take on Italy in the semifinals on Saturday.