Wimbledon 2019: Djokovic battles past Bautista Agut in 4 sets to secure finals berth

World number one Novak Djokovic was made to fight for it, but the Serbian tennis superstar had enough in the tank to defeat Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and seal his spot in the Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Top seed Djokovic held off a spirited challenge from unfancied outsider Bautista Agut in the first of the men's semi-finals on Centre Court on Friday as he claimed victory in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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Djokovic cruised through the first set to win 6-2, but any thoughts of a straightforward path to Sunday's final were quickly erased when Bautista Agut came storming back in the second set. 

The Spaniard had defeated Djokovic in each of their last two meetings, and his confidence visibly soared as he broke the Serb and claimed the second set 6-4 thanks in part to a number of uncharacteristic errors from the world number one.

© AFP / Daniel Leal-Olivas

It served as a wake-up call for Djokovic, who tightened up his game in set 3 as the match became a battle of wills between two players hell-bent on a place in the finals.

And the momentum swung decisively in Djokovic's favor when the pair engaged in a thrilling 45-shot rally in the sixth game of the set. The Serb won the point, broke Bautista Agut's serve, and never looked back.

And with the Spanish hopeful's spirit broken, the defending champion closed out a hard-earned victory by winning the fourth set 6-2 to book his place in the finals.

Djokovic's victory is his 12th win in his last 13 Grand Slam semifinals. Now he plans on going one step further and securing the win, his fifth Wimbledon men's singles title and 16th Grand Slam championship, in Sunday's final.