(Madrid) Croatia reached the Davis Cup final with a doubles victory over Serbia on Friday.
In search of a third triumph, the Croats will face Russia or Germany, which will cross swords on Saturday.
The grand final will take place on Sunday.
Top-ranked doubles player Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic beat No.1 in singles Novak Djokovic and Filip Krajinovic 7-5, 6-1.
“We were confident we could get the job done, but we knew it was going to be a tough job,” said Djokovic.
PHOTO SUSANA VERA, REUTERS
Novak Djokovic congratulates a member of the Croatian team.
“Nikola and Mate know each other so well, they always know where the other is going to be on the pitch. They force you to land perfect shots. ”
Croatia and Serbia were tied 1-1 after the two singles matches.
Borna Gojo gave Croatia a 1-0 lead with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Dusan Lajovic on Friday.
Djokovic brought Serbia back to a tie following their 6-4, 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic.
The first set of the game between Djokovic and Cilic was close until the Serbian broke the ball with a winning shot at the net. Cilic then double faults to give Djokovic a 5-4 lead.
PHOTO OSCAR DEL POZO, FRANCE-PRESS AGENCY
Marin Cilic and Novak Djokovic
Cilic came close to bringing the game on equal service to the next game, but Djokovic managed to save four break points. He won the initial set when Cilic sent the ball over the baseline.
Djokovic saved with the second set thanks to breakages in the third and fifth games.
Earlier in the day, Gojo, 279e in the world, dominated Lajovic after the Serbian wiped out a 1-4 deficit to win the first set.
Gojo had five service breaks on the hard court inside the Madrid Arena.
Serbia and Croatia met in Davis Cup for the third time since they became independent nations after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Serbia have won the two previous meetings.
Winning three major tournaments in 2021, Djokovic said Serbia will need to learn a lesson from Friday’s Davis Cup outcome.
“It’s sometimes unpleasant to realize it, but we have to take something away from these moments,” he said. We definitely need a doubles team that plays together regularly. Otherwise, it’s like trying to climb Everest. ”