Florida, Mar 31 (UNI) Teenager Jakub Mensik denied his childhood idol Novak Djokovic a 100th ATP singles title with a superb performance to win the Miami Open.

The 19-year-old Czech beat Serbia's Djokovic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) on a sticky, humid night to clinch his first ATP Tour title.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, had been bidding to become just the third man in the Open era to win 100 singles titles.

However, the 37-year-old's wait will go on after his loss to Mensik, who was just 10 months old when Djokovic won his first title in 2006.

Mensik is the ninth-youngest Masters 1000 champion and the third-youngest in Miami after Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, the BBC reported.

Mensik is another rising star in the men's game, possessing a huge serve and a thumping backhand that has taken him inside the world's top 50.

Djokovic invited Mensik to practice with him after the 2022 Australian Open when he was still a junior, and Mensik said in his winner's speech that Djokovic was "the reason I am here".

Mensik also thanked his physiotherapist, who treated him for a knee injury that almost led to him withdrawing in the first round in Miami.

"One hour before my first match here I was holding the paper to pull out from the tournament," Mensik said.

"I was just lucky that the referee was having lunch.

"I came for the treatment. He did a miracle and because of him I'm standing here."

Fourth seed Djokovic warmly congratulated Mensik at the end of the match and said afterwards:

"It hurts me to admit it but you were better.

"I wish you the best of luck. Maybe you'll let me win one of the next times we play."

It has been some rise for Mensik, who broke into the top 100 in February 2024 by reaching the

Qatar Open final.

In Miami he beat three top-10 players in Djokovic, Britain's Jack Draper and American Taylor Fritz to lift the biggest title of his career, and handled the pressure of the occasion well.

After a five-and-a-half hour rain delay before the final, settling into a rhythm was not easy, but Mensik adjusted quicker than Djokovic.

He broke Djokovic at the first opportunity and his first serve popped as he rushed out to a 4-1 lead.

Djokovic, by contrast, had a rough start. He fell twice, had to apply eye drops after being bothered by swelling under his right eye and resorted to using sawdust to help him grip his racquet in the humidity.

However, his serve improved as the set progressed and his backhand slice in particular trouble Mensik, who eventually handed the break back.

A tie-break felt inevitable and Djokovic paid for a poor start to it, although he saved two set points before Mensik smashed his way to the opener.

The match was following a similar pattern to their previous meeting in Shanghai last year, when Mensik took the first set on a breaker before fading in the next two.

However, this time he kept up the intensity. Mensik did not face a break point in the second set and the heat and humidity began to take a toll on Djokovic.

Breathing heavily and wiping his face on a towel between every point, Djokovic could only watch as Mensik sent three excellent serves past him to force a tie-break, before the Serb whacked his thigh with his racquet after dropping the opening point in it.

If the point was short, then it was Djokovic who came out on top. But Mensik dug in to the long rallies, sending Djokovic darting around at the back of court and ultimately setting up three match points.

The first one went by as Djokovic sent a superb return right onto the baseline, but Mensik ensured a fitting end with a serve out wide to clinch the second.

He will now rise to a career-high of 24th in the world rankings.

For Djokovic, the wait for a first ATP title since 2023 goes on, but there were signs that his serve in particular has improved under coach Andy Murray.

UNI BM