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8/30/11 11:34 PM | Ricky Dimon
Nikolay Davydenko battles past Ivan Dodig in a five-setter on Tuesday at the U.S. Open. Davydenko is one win away from a possible matchup with Novak Djokovic.
Nikolay Davydenko booked a spot in the second round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday afternoon with a hard-fought 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 win over Ivan Dodig. Davydenko needed three hours and 52 minutes to get through the back-and-forth encounter and set up a clash against Potito Starace.
Heading into this one, these two were more of the evenly-matched players in the field on paper. Dodig snagged the 32nd and final seeded spot while Davydenko just barely missed out a seed. The first set told a similar tale, as neither man could break serve the entire way. Dodig just barely managed to seize the upper hand in a tiebreaker, taking it eight points to six.
Sets two and three, however, saw Davydenko turn the tide in convincing fashion. The Russian served at an incredible 96 percent in the second and leveled the match with a hold at 5-3. Davydenko assumed even more domination in the third, serving at 88 percent while refusing to give his opponent a single game.
Dodig, though, appeared to do nothing more than conserve energy for a fourth and fifth. It paid off for a while, as the 33rd-ranked Croat seized three breaks to force a decisive frame of play. He won a marathon return game at 5-2 to close out the fourth in style.
But this showdown was in store for another momentum swing right away in the fifth. Davydenko struck for an immediate break and a 1-0 lead, and that was all he would need for victory. The world No. 39 never came close to giving it back, but he added another break just for good measure before finishing off the proceedings on serve at 5-2.
Davydenko wrapped up his effort with just two aces and seven double-faults, but he put in 77 percent of his first offerings. Dodig recorded nine aces and eight double-faults.
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