Banja Luka Open: Lajovic upsets Rublev to clinch the title

Dusan Lajovic put the final perfect touch to his amazing week in Banja Luka. The Serb edged out the second seed Andrey Rublev (6-3, 4-6, 6-4) to lift the Banja Luka Open trophy at the Tennis Klub Mladost on Sunday afternoon.

“Last time I was in an ATP final was four years ago. I’ve been through a lot since then, many ups and downs”, said a very emotional Lajovic on the court. “This was probably the most unexpected thing for me. But I still believed in myself even though I didn’t have the best last year.” With his beautiful one-handed backhand as a trademark and a true sense of how to play on clay, Lajovic has put on a show all week. Man on a mission kind of vibe.

The Serb had quite the trouble closing it out despite leading 5-1 in the third set and then letting two match points go away at 5-4 on his serve. But he found a way, on a superb forehand winner, to clinch the second title of his career after Umag in 2019 in his third Tour final as he played the Monte-Carlo final back in 2019 too. In Umag, the year he won, he had by the way already beaten Andrey Rublev on the way (6-4, 6-3).

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Rublev was coming on extraordinary form after winning the Masters 1000 of Monte-Carlo and was the overwhelming favorite of this final, but he couldn’t go over the last hurdle in Banja Luka to defend his Serbia Open title. He will still find big reasons to be ambitious for the rest of the clay season, especially because he seems to be, for now, exempt from the fitness curse falling on many top players lately.

Lajovic, ranked No 70, completed an incredible week marked by a win over World No.1 Novak Djokovic but also against Filip Krajinovic (6-2, 4-6, 6-4), Gregoire Barrere, the No 8 seed (6-3, 6-0), and No 4 seed Miomir Kecmanovic (4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4).