Struff defeats Novak in Basel

Nole is out of Basel ATP 500 event after second round defeat.

Jan-Lennard Struff earned one of the biggest victories of his career on Thursday in Basel.

The German defeated fourth seed Novak Djokovic in a thrilling three-set battle, winning 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (5) in two hours and 36 minutes to reach the Swiss Indoors Basel quarter-finals.

Struff played aggressive tennis behind his thundering serve to stay on top of the Serb. He managed to dictate the pace and took control of the match.

After winning the first set in a tie-break, Novak had several opportunities to gain the upper hand in the second set. However, he let four break points slip away, before Struff converted his first opportunity to level the contest at one set apiece.

The match was decided in another tie-break, which the German handled better. Djokovic fended off two match points with two big serves, but Struff closed it out with an ace.

This defeat represents a serious blow to Nole’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Rafael Jodar, the ninth-ranked player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, lost earlier in the day, opening the door for Djokovic to overtake him by winning the title in Basel.

However, Novak now trails the Spaniard by 319 points, with only the Rolex Paris Masters remaining before the WTFs.

Photo: Profimedia