GENEVA: Novak Djokovic moved to within one win of securing his 100th ATP title by defeating a battling Cameron Norrie to reach the final of a clay-court event in Geneva on Friday.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, playing in Switzerland to warm up for the French Open, missed a match point in the second set before eventually winning 6-4, 6-7(6-8), 6-1.

“It was the toughest match of the tournament for me so far, three sets,” said Djokovic.

“[In] the second set, he was a break up and I managed to come back to the tie-break, [I had] a match point, I got a little bit tight there. But I’m really glad how I regrouped in the third and played the best set of the tournament.”

Djokovic will attempt to secure his first tournament victory since winning Olympic gold in Paris last summer when he faces Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in Saturday’s final.

He is aiming to become only the third player to reach a century of ATP titles after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.

The 38-year-old is playing in his first event since splitting from coach and old rival Andy Murray.

He also lost both of his previous matches on clay this season before this week, but appears to be finding form ahead of the start of Roland Garros on Sunday.

Djokovic will start his bid for a fourth French Open triumph and record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title when he faces American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

On Friday, Djokovic took the first set against former Wimbledon semi-finalist Norrie courtesy of a break in the seventh game.

The Serb battled back from 5-2 down in the second set to force a tie-break, but saw a match point come and go as Britain’s Norrie sent the tie into a decider.

But Djokovic raced into a 3-0 lead in the third, losing just one point across those first three games.

He closed it out on his second match point after another run of three straight games.

Former world number six Hurkacz saw off 128th-ranked Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first final since losing to Jannik Sinner in Halle last June.

On Thursday, Djokovic overcame soggy conditions on his 38th birthday to beat Matteo Arnaldi and reach the semi-finals.

The former world number one retrieved a break in the second set to claim a 6-4, 6-4 win over the 39th-ranked Italian who dumped him out at the first hurdle in Madrid last month.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had not won a match on clay this season after also losing his Monte Carlo opener at the start of April to Alejandro Tabilo.

A single break early in the first set enabled Djokovic to take control, but he had to rally from 4-1 down in the second. He drew audible gasps from the crowd when he grabbed his right knee after stretching for a shot in the fifth game.

But Djokovic quickly rebounded and let out a mighty roar as he broke to go 5-4 ahead before putting away Arnaldi.In the day’s other quarter-finals, Norrie ousted Australian fifth seed Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Hurkacz put out top seed Taylor 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) while Ofner came from behind to beat fourth seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2025