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Andrew Cesare Richardson

Agence France-Presse

Novak Djokovic missed the chance to win his 100th ATP title, suffering a shock straight-sets defeat by Jakub Mensik in the Miami Open final.
Unseeded Mensik showed his mettle once again in tie-breaks as he took the final 7-6, 7-6 to win his maiden ATP title.
The match started more than 5½ hours after its scheduled start time of 3pm on Sunday local time because of a rain delay, with the players finally arriving on court at 8.37pm.
Djokovic was aiming to become only the third man to claim a century of ATP titles after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103), but just fell short.
Mensik, ranked world No 54, broke the 24-time grand slam champion to take a 4-2 lead in the first set but the Serb broke back immediately.

The rest of the set remained on serve but Mensik showed why he has an impressive record in tie-breaks when he opened up a 5-0 lead.
Djokovic fought back and the Czech eventually won out 7-4.
Set two saw no break of serve and a more cagey tie-break which ended in the same scoreline in favour of the Czech star.
“To be honest I don’t know what to say,” Mensik said in his on-court interview. “It feels incredible, obviously.
“It was probably the biggest day of my life and I did super, which I’m really glad [about], to show the performance and keep the nerves outside of the court before the match.
“I feel just super-happy and I think that the feelings will come later.”
Mensik also said he was close to pulling out of the tournament after suffering a knee injury before his first match.
“This is Jakub’s moment, a moment of his team, a moment of his family,” Djokovic said. “Congratulations – unbelievable tournament.
“It hurts me to admit it, but you were better. In a clutch moment, you delivered the goods. Unbelievable serving and just a phenomenal effort mentally as well to stay tough in a difficult moment.
“For a young player like yourself, this is a great feature. Something that I’m sure you will use many times in the years to follow.”


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ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)

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Novak Djokovic stuck on 99, stunned by unseeded Jakub Mensik in Miami Open final

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Unseeded Czech shows his tie-break prowess after match starts 5½ hours late

Unseeded Czech shows his tie-break prowess after match starts 5½ hours late