Date:10/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111061262000.htm

Sport - Tennis

Davydenko rallies to beat Tsonga

— PHOTO: AFP

HARD-FOUGHT WIN: Nikolay Davydenko overcame Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the ATP Masters Cup in Shanghai on Sunday.

SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic ended his Masters Cup jinx on Sunday, overcoming a rash of errors to beat Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-3 in the season-ending tennis tournament’s opening round-robin match.

Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko used his devastating ground game to rally past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(0) in the other Gold Group match.

Djokovic failed to win a set last year in three matches, citing exhaustion from a heavy schedule in his rise to No. 3 in the world.

The Serb also lost in the round of 16 in his past two tournaments and said Saturday that he was having trouble finding his rhythm.

The Red Group, which includes Federer, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Gilles Simon, gets into action on Monday. Nadal is sitting out the tournament with tendinitis in his right knee, hoping to be ready for Spain’s Davis Cup final against Argentina on Nov. 21-23.

In doubles the third-seeded pair of Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Mark Knowles of Bahamas defeated the fifth-seeded Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie of South Africa 6-2, 6-3

The results:

Singles: Gold Group: Novak Djokovic bt Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-3; Nikolay Davydenko bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(0).

Doubles: Mahesh Bhupathi & Mark Knowles bt Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie 6-2, 6-3. — AP