World number eight Andrey Rublev beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the Serbia Open in Belgrade 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-0. The victory denies Djokovic his first title of the season after an unsettled start to 2022. The world No 1 was playing in front of a home partisan crowd but Rublev held his nerve and was able to dominate the deciding set to claim the victory. It was the fist time the Russian had beaten Djokovic and was the third title he’s won this year. Rublev will be unable to compete at Wimbledon this year after the All England Club banned Russian players from competing at the event due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Elsewhere, Carlos Alcaraz gave another indication of his exciting potential after he won the Barcelona Open. Alcaraz has established himself as one of the rising stars in the sport and will break into the world’s top 10 this week. The Spaniard beat his compatriot Pablo Carreno 6-3 6-2 and will become the youngest top 10 player since Rafael Nadal in 2005.