Top-ranked Novak Djokovic came back to beat Gilles Simon 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in his opening match at the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday.
The Cincinnati tournament is the only Masters series event Djokovic has never won, finishing as the runner-up four times. If he wins this week, he’ll become the first with titles at all nine ATP Masters events.
First, he had to get past Simon. He had trouble putting away the Frenchman, whom he has now beaten eight straight times. The opening game of the third set went 20 points and 15 minutes, with Simon surviving six break points.
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Djokovic finally broke through for a 4-3 lead and served out the 2-hour, 9-minute match. The last set alone took 59 minutes.
“I’m not playing at a level that I need to be, and it’s obvious. I keep pushing myself.”
Azarenka opt out
The tournament lost its defending women’s champion on Tuesday when Victoria Azarenka withdrew because of an injured right knee. Defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal withdrew before the tournament because of an injured wrist.
Azarenka’s withdrawal is the latest setback in her season full of injuries. She’s been sidelined for much of the year with an ailing left foot. She aggravated an injury to her right knee at Montreal, where she lost in the quarterfinals, and hoped a few days of rest would take care of it.
“I started to feel a little bit better and did everything I could, but it’s just not enough time for me to feel good to play a full match,” she said.
While Djokovic managed to advance despite his struggles, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Venus Williams made quick exits after leaving their winning touch in Canada.
Two days after he beat Roger Federer for his second Masters title in Toronto, Tsonga lost to Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-4.
Williams beat sister Serena while reaching the finals in Montreal on Sunday, finishing runner-up. She lost to Lucie Safarova 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 in the first round on Tuesday.
Fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova broke Madison Keys to go up 3-0 in the final set and held on for a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win that was gratifying. She was coming off a loss in the third round at Montreal.
“I didn’t have a great week last week,” she said. “No matter who is across the net, it’s never easy going out in the first round because you want to change that result around.”