Novak Djokovic was left to rue a “bitter” end to another record-breaking season after losing twice to Jannik Sinner as Italy defeated Serbia to reach the Davis Cup final.

The world number one suffered an unwanted career first when he failed to convert three consecutive match points in a pulsating 6-2 2-6 7-5 singles loss – his first in the competition in 22 matches and 12 years.

Serbia had led 1-0 in the semi-final in Malaga thanks to Miomir Kecmanovic’s win over Lorenzo Musetti but Djokovic’s defeat sent the tie to a deciding doubles contest.

Djokovic and Sinner lined up on opposite sides of the net for the fourth time in less than two weeks alongside Kecmanovic and Lorenzo Sonego respectively, and it was the Italian duo who clinched a 6-3 6-4 win to send their country through to a clash with Australia for the title on Sunday.

Djokovic had hoped to crown the season in which he became the most successful man in tennis history with a second Davis Cup title, and he made no attempt to hide his disappointment.

“Congratulations to Italy for qualifying for the finals,” he said. “They deserved it. They played really well, particularly Jannik, in singles against me and then doubles, as well. He barely missed a ball the entire match.

“For me personally it’s a huge disappointment, because I take the responsibility, obviously having three match points, being so close to winning it. It’s unfortunate really. This is sport. When you lose for your country, the bitter feeling is even greater.”

After Kecmanovic had backed up his fine showing against Britain’s Jack Draper by coming from a set down to defeat Musetti 6-7 (7) 6-2 6-1, the stage seemed set for Djokovic to send Serbia through to the final.

The confidence Sinner had gained from his group stage victory over Djokovic at the ATP Finals was negated by a convincing loss in the final but the world number one looked fatigued, perhaps more mentally than physically, during the first set.

Both men had headed straight from Turin to Malaga but Sinner is 14 years younger than his rival and he took full advantage of some uncharacteristic errors to reel off five games in a row.

It was another excellent atmosphere at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena, befitting the sort of marquee clash that Davis Cup has not seen enough of over the last decade and more.

Djokovic showed more positive energy at the start of the second set and was pushing for a break throughout the decider.

But Sinner refused to buckle, saving break points in two separate games prior to his remarkable renaissance at 4-5, when he won five points in a row from 0-40.

In a reminder that even the very best are not immune to pressure, the Serbian was then broken himself and Sinner served out a stunning victory.

Djokovic’s record in doubles is poor and, in a contest that made up for in drama what it lacked in quality, the Italian duo claimed a deserved victory to crown Sinner’s special day.

The world number one, who again became involved with the crowd, this time conducting along to Italian jeers, refused to blame fatigue, saying: “I don’t want to talk about it because it’s going to sound like an excuse.

“Obviously this is a tough one to swallow. I was really trying to hype myself and encourage myself for this week. Throughout the entire season, my thoughts were this week with my Davis Cup team. I tried to contribute. I did in the first tie, but today it wasn’t meant to be.”

Novak Djokovic ended Great Britain’s hopes of winning another Davis Cup title as he led Serbia to a 2-0 quarter-final victory in Malaga.

Britain’s dramatic success against France in Manchester in September had sent them through to the final eight event for the first time in the revamped format.

But they fell at the first hurdle, with Miomir Kecmanovic defeating Jack Draper 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) before Djokovic comfortably saw off Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 to send a jubilant Serbia through to a semi-final against Italy on Saturday.

Given the presence of Djokovic, who cemented his position at the top of the sport by winning a seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday, Britain’s hopes depended on Draper winning the first rubber.

The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.

There were around 5,000 British fans in a near-capacity crowd, giving the event the sort of authentic Davis Cup feel that has so often been missing since the switch from the home-and-away format.

Among those sat in the stands at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena was Dan Evans, who had hoped to build on his brilliant performances in Manchester before a calf injury prematurely ended his season.

But even the British number two would have had his work cut out against an inspired Kecmanovic, who was chosen ahead of the higher-ranked Laslo Djere and fully justified the decision.

Draper had the better form coming in having reached his first ATP Tour final this month and had beaten Kecmanovic – ranked five places higher at 55 – earlier this year, but the Serbian was dominant on serve and edged two tie-breaks.

Draper hung on during the first set, saving two break points at 3-4 and then two set points at 4-5 with some gutsy play only to double fault twice in the tie-break.

His chance came when he recovered from 2-5 to level at 5-5 in the second tie-break but, despite saving a match point, he could not force a decider.

It was only the 21-year-old’s second Davis Cup rubber and he admitted knowing Djokovic was looming added to the nerves he felt.

“That’s seemingly a must-win match for me,” said Draper. “It’s definitely a tough challenge to go out there knowing that there is a lot more pressure on me to win the match.

“That’s the kind of pressure that, if I want to be a top player, I have to cope with and have to perform under. It’s tough not to get the win today. I gave it all I had mentally. I didn’t do a few things as well as I wanted to, but he played a great match.”

Djokovic had lost only six of his 61 previous matches this season, with just one defeat since the Wimbledon final, while his Davis Cup record is utterly formidable.

It is 12 years since he lost a singles match in the competition, and even that was by retirement, with now 21 straight wins and only four sets dropped.

Norrie had managed only a single set in three previous meetings and has endured a miserable run since the clay-court swing back in the spring, but he was captain Leon Smith’s only option once Andy Murray pulled out with a minor shoulder injury.

He did not put in a bad performance by any means, but was fire-fighting from the moment he was broken at 2-2 in the opening set, throwing everything he had at Djokovic to fight back from 0-40 in his next service game.

The Serbian lost just three points on serve in the first set – and only eight in the match – and blew kisses towards a vocal British fan who had been warned by the umpire after clinching it to love.

Norrie promptly dropped serve to start the second set before again hanging on grimly, this time saving five break points at 1-3, but Djokovic was able to stay in his comfort zone through to the finish line.

While Serbia are a step closer to the trophy, Britain must start again in February in the qualifiers – barring an unlikely wild card through to September’s group stage.

Great Britain’s hopes of reaching the Davis Cup semi-finals were hanging by a thread after Jack Draper lost the opening rubber to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in Malaga.

Draper’s 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) defeat left Cameron Norrie needing to hand Novak Djokovic just his seventh loss of the season to send the tie to a deciding doubles.

Serbia sprang a surprise by picking Kecmanovic, ranked five places above Draper at 55 in the world, ahead of their number two Laslo Djere, but the 24-year-old fully justified the decision with an impressive display.

Twenty-one-year-old Draper was unable to impose his big game on the match and came out on the wrong end of two tie-breaks in a contest lasting two hours and two minutes.

The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.

Around 5,000 British fans, including Dan Evans, who was forced out of the event through injury after playing the leading role in qualification, made up the majority of a virtually full crowd at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena.

The International Tennis Federation’s decision to move away from the traditional home-and-away format and to a World Cup-style event has been unpopular with players and fans, but this was the sort of occasion they would have envisaged.

It was a huge moment for Draper, who only played his first match in the competition in September in Manchester and now found British hopes depending on him given the presence of Djokovic in the second rubber.

He could draw on better recent form than Kecmanovic, having reached his first ATP Tour final in Sofia earlier this month while the Serbian had lost his last four matches, and also won their only previous meeting on clay in May.

But Kecmanovic is a quality player who was ranked in the top 30 at the start of the year and, despite three aces in his first service game from Draper, it was the Serbian who was the more impressive in the early stages.

Draper had to dig deep to save two break points in a long eighth game and then found himself facing two set points at 4-5, which he again fought off in gutsy fashion.

But two double faults cost him dearly in the tie-break and left him with a lot of work to do to turn the match around.

Neither man faced a break point in the second set, but again it was Kecmanovic who looked the more convincing on serve.

After losing five points in a row from 2-0 up in the tie-break, Draper did well to level at 5-5 and then save a match point with a volley that just caught the line, but a wayward forehand gave Kecmanovic a second chance and this time the British youngster netted a return.

Casper Ruud clinched his 10th career ATP title with a straight-sets victory over Miomir Kecmanovic in Sunday's Estoril Open final, while Roberto Carballes Baena won the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Having enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022, Ruud was bidding for his first trophy success of 2023 in Portugal, and the world number five made a flying start to his clash with Kecmanovic.

Ruud wrapped up the opener in just 36 minutes, taking control with a huge forehand winner to break in just the third game.

The Norwegian navigated two three-set contests in order to reach the showpiece, and it looked like another of his matches may go the distance when Kecmanovic recovered to force a second-set tie-break.

However, a dipping backhand saw Ruud secure the second of two crucial mini breaks, and he took the first of his three championship points to cap a fine week with silverware, sealing a 6-2 7-6 (7-3) win.

Elsewhere, Carballes Baena won just his second career title, triumphing on the clay in Marrakesh where he beat Alexandre Muller 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.

France's Muller showed no signs of being overawed on his first final outing as he took the opener in impressive fashion, but Carballes Baena edged a tie-break in the second before dominating the decider.

Carballes Baena's triumph – recorded in just under three hours – gave him his first title since the 2018 Ecuador Open, which also came on his favoured clay surface.

Casper Ruud defeated Quentin Halys in a third-set tie-break to reach the final of the Estoril Open, where Miomir Kecmanovic awaits after defeating Marco Cecchinato.

The number one seed, competing in his first semi-final of the season, prevailed 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2) in Portugal to move within one match of a 10th singles title.

Ruud broke his opponent's serve in the opening game and saw out the first set, but Halys – competing in his first ATP Tour semi-final – hit back in the second to prolong the match.

Both men held as the contest went the distance, but Ruud's quality told as he raced 3-0 ahead in the deciding tie-break and did not look back as he set up a final with Kecmanovic.

World number 40 Kecmanovic needed a little over an hour to beat sixth seed Cecchinato, who had surprised Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the previous round.

Kecmanovic, aiming to add to his only previous singles success in Kitzbuhel three years ago, held serve throughout to claim a 6-3 6-1 win over the 2018 French Open semi-finalist.

Elsewhere on Saturday, the final seeded player fell at the Grand Prix Hassan II as Dan Evans was defeated 2-6 6-4 6-2 by Roberto Carballes Baena.

Carballes Baena has now eliminated three seeded players and will face Alexandre Muller in Sunday's final after the Frenchman saw off Pavel Kotov in straight sets.

Muller edged a first-set tie-break and proved too strong in the second as he saw out a 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 victory in Marrakesh.

Casper Ruud is through to the final four of the Estoril Open after a routine 6-3 6-0 victory against defending champion Sebastian Baez on Friday.

The number one seed dominated his Argentine opponent from the moment the first set went to 3-3, winning nine-straight games from there to ease to victory.

Ruud did need to save four break points in the second game of the second set, but his ability to hold serve seemed to end any resistance that Baez could muster.

The Norwegian will face Frenchman Quentin Halys in the semi-finals after his own straight-sets triumph over Dominic Thiem

Halys reached his first ever ATP Tour semi after recording a 6-1 6-4 win over the former world number three in just one hour and 19 minutes.

The other semi-final will see Miomir Kecmanovic take on Marco Cecchinato after the latter stunned third seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.

The world number 96 claimed a 7-5 7-6 (7-5) victory in the first meeting between the pair to set up a last-four clash with Kecmanovic, who saw off sixth seed Bernabe Zapata Miralles with a comfortable 7-5 6-2 win.

Elsewhere, Dan Evans is the only seed remaining in the Grand Prix Hassan II as he reached the semi-finals by cruising to a 6-3 7-5 triumph over world number 201 Andrea Vavassori in Marrakech.

Evans will face Roberto Carballes Baena next after the Spaniard toppled fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 2-6 6-2.

Second seed Lorenzo Musetti was beaten by Alexandre Muller 6-3 1-6 6-4 in a topsy-turvy encounter, and the Frenchman will now face Pavel Kotov in the final four after the Russian defeated Christopher O'Connell in a thriller, 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-3).

Taylor Fritz showed why he is ranked top-10 in the world and rising after beating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0 5-7 6-2 in Sunday's final of the Delray Beach Open.

Fritz, 25, came into the tournament sitting at a career-best rank of seventh, and he did not lose his first set in Delray Beach until the final.

The top seed, Fritz was nearly perfect in the opening set, hitting 15 winners with only one unforced error and taking 72 per cent (28-of-39) of the total points. Kecmanovic did not hit a single winner in the set.

The 23-year-old Serbian showed far more fight in the second, and after saving all three of Fritz's break-point opportunities – including one match point – Kecmanovic capitalised on his one and only break-point chance of the match to force a third set.

But the mistakes crept back into the underdog's game, shooting himself in the foot with a pair of double faults and more unforced errors than winners.

Fritz took full advantage, securing two breaks down the stretch to run away with the victory and his first title of 2023.

After winning just one of his first six finals on the ATP Tour, Fritz has now won the past four finals he has reached.

Carlos Alcaraz clinched a berth in the Argentina Open in his first tournament back from injury with a straight-sets victory over Spanish compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Saturday.

Alcaraz, who had not played since the Paris Masters in early November due to abdominal and right leg injuries, triumphed 6-2 6-2 in one hour and 17 minutes.

The 19-year-old Spaniard will face second seed Cameron Norrie in Sunday's decider, with the Briton needing almost two hours to overcome Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

"It’s a really special moment for me," Alcaraz said. "I was a little bit down after the injury, so I had to recover in those four months the confidence and the rhythm.

"Coming back for my first tournament of 2023 and making the final is so special for me."

Alcaraz has won all three matches at the Argentina Open, dropping only one set against Laslo Djere in his return match in the second round.

Taylor Fritz beat countryman Mackenzie McDonald for a spot in the Delray Beach Open final in Florida, fighting back from a break down in the second set to win 6-3 7-6 (8-6) and a secure a berth in his 10th career final.

Fritz, the top seed at Delray Beach, will take on Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the decider after he won 7-6 (10-8) 3-6 6-2 over Moldova's Radu Albot.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz was too good in his Argentina Open quarter-final on Friday, defeating Dusan Lajovic 6-4 6-2.

The 19-year-old is playing in his first tournament of the year, and after dropping a set in his opener against Serbia's Laslo Djere, he had fewer problems against Djere's compatriot.

Alcaraz will play Bernabe Zapata Miralles in an all-Spanish semi-final after he eliminated Buenos Aires' own Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-3.

England's Cameron Norrie had to come from a set behind for the second match in a row to knock out Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7 6-0 6-3, and he will meet Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in the other semi-final.

Varillas collected arguably the biggest win of his career against world number 20 Lorenzo Musetti, and he is now two wins away from his first ATP Tour title.

Meanwhile, top seed and world number seven Taylor Fritz is through to the semi-final of the Delray Beach Open after fending off the challenge of veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.

Fritz has lost his past two meetings with Mackenzie McDonald, and he will get a chance at redemption after McDonald joined him in the semi-final with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Michael Mmoh.

Fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic joins Fritz as the only seeded players to reach the semi-finals after he saw off Marcos Giron 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, while second seed Tommy Paul was upset as a heavy favourite against Romania's Radu Albot 6-2 6-2.

At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.

At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.

At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.

At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.

Thanasi Kokkinakis is on a roll again at the Adelaide International 2 where the hometown hero and defending champion marched into the semi-finals on just two hours' sleep.

The Australian wildcard saw off Serbian sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 on Thursday to set up a semi-final against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.

Kokkinakis had a stellar run to the title at this tournament 12 months ago, beating John Isner and Marin Cilic before knocking over Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the final.

A first-round exit followed at the Australian Open, although he memorably won the doubles title with Nick Kyrgios. Kokkinakis struggled for the rest of the year, with his ranking currently at 110.

Kokkinakis said after his latest win: "I didn't sleep much last night. I reckon I got to sleep at about five and maybe slept for a couple of hours.

"I just couldn't sleep for whatever reason, so I was trying to conserve energy. I didn't want to use it too much. I had a couple of Monsters [energy drinks] before I started and tried to get going.

"When I'm serving well my whole game follows, and then when my forehand gets going I think I've been hitting my backhand really well this week. If I'm doing those three things, it's a good recipe.

"I grew up on this court when I was eight, nine, 10 years old. I showed up last year, and hopefully I can ride the wave with you guys and keep it going."

Fourth seed Bautista Agut beat compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-2, while the other Adelaide semi-final will see British player Jack Draper tackle South Korean Kwon Soon-woo.

Draper, who has been drawn to face Rafael Nadal in round one of the Australian Open, beat Russian third seed Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-6 (7-3), while Kwon saw off Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer 6-1 6-2.

At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.

Novak Djokovic was beaten in his first match back in Australia but did at least receive a warm reception from the crowd at the Adelaide International.

Djokovic – who saw a three-year visa ban lifted in November – was playing with Vasek Pospisil in the doubles, and the duo lost 4-6 6-3 10-5 to Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar on Monday, but the fans in attendance chanted "Novak" as they welcomed him back following his absence from last year's Australian Open.

The Serbian will face Constant Lestienne in the first round of the men's singles, but second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is already out after he lost to Alexei Popyrin.

Auger-Aliassime struggled throughout as his Australian opponent, ranked 120th in the world, put in a crowd-pleasing performance to go through 6-4 7-6 (7-5).

Another young star, Holger Rune, is also out after the fifth seed was beaten 2-6 6-4 6-4 by Yoshihito Nishioka.

Quentin Halys set up a potential second-round clash with Djokovic after beating Jordan Thompson in straight sets, while Miomir Kecmanovic, Jack Draper, Roman Safiullin and Thanasi Kokkinakis all progressed.

It was also a bad day for seeds at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, with Alex Molcan beaten 6-2 6-4 by Laslo Djere and Jaume Munar losing 6-4 7-5 to Tallon Griekspoor.

Dutchman Griekspoor will now play Marco Cecchinato after the Italian overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Roberto Carballes Baena set up a last-16 clash against top seed Marin Cilic by defeating fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Filip Krajinovic did make it through a tussle with home favourite Sumit Nagal to set up a meeting with Michael Mmoh, while Benjamin Bonzi will face third seed Emil Ruusuvuori after beating Tseng Chun-hsin.

Matteo Berrettini is set to tackle Davis Cup team-mate Lorenzo Musetti in an all-Italian Napoli Cup final on Sunday after defying advice to pull out with a foot injury.

Former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini beat American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 at the hard court event, while Musetti came through 6-3 6-4 against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

Providing Berrettini is healthy to participate in the final, the tournament looks set to deliver a crowd-pleasing trophy match, but it was touch and go whether the Rome native would get through the McDonald match.

"I don't even know how I did it," Berrettini said. "I wasn't feeling very good. I asked for the physio because my foot was hurting. It happened so many times in my career that I had to fight through so many things, not just thinking about the tennis ball."

He added, quoted by the ATP: "I didn't want to retire. My team told me, 'I think you should stop'. But I tried and I found a way."

Berrettini and Musetti have never gone head-to-head before. Berrettini has won two titles this year, both on grass, in Stuttgart and at London's Queen's Club, while 20-year-old Musetti scooped his maiden ATP title on clay in Hamburg.

At the European Open in Antwerp, Sunday's final will see American Sebastian Korda tackle Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, in a battle of two in-form players.

Korda was runner-up last week in Gijon, while Auger-Aliassime took the title in Florence, adding to his Rotterdam triumph from February.

Korda wrestled his way past a recently resurgent Dominic Thiem, scraping a 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) victory, before Auger-Aliassime was given a mighty battle by veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet, winning through in two tight sets, 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) his margin.

Like Berrettini and Auger-Aliassime, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas has a third title of the year in his sights this weekend.

Tsitsipas swept through to the final of the Stockholm Open with a 6-2 6-2 win over Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, setting up a clash with 19-year-old Danish player Holger Rune.

For Rune, there was no such straightforward path into the final as Alex de Minaur pushed him all the way, with the Australian eventually edged out 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 after two hours and 50 minutes.

Aleksandar Kovacevic marked his ATP Tour main-draw debut by knocking seventh seed Miomir Kecmanovic out of the Korea Open on Monday.

American Kovacevic was only playing in the first round as a lucky loser in Seoul after he was beaten in the final round of qualifying, but he grasped his chance by winning 6-4 6-4.

The 24-year-old served 14 aces and broke the world number 32 three times to set up a second-round meeting with Christopher O'Connell or Tseng Chun-hsin.

Radu Albot got the better of Hiroki Moriya in his first appearance in Seoul, while Jaume Munar progressed when Yosuke Watanuki retired early in their match due to an ankle injury.

Kaichi Uchida came out on top in the final match of the day, consigning Hong Seong-chan to a 6-4 6-2 defeat.

Daniil Medvedev showed on Thursday why he is the top overall seed at the Los Cabos Open, comfortably handling the challenge of Ricardas Berankis in a 6-2 6-2 win.

The world number one gave Berankis no avenues into the match, winning 48 per cent (27-of-56) of his total return points, while also converting 88 per cent (21-of-24) of his own successful first serves into points.

Medvedev will meet Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-final after he pulled off an impressive 6-2 6-4 victory against American Brandon Nakashima.

Kecmanovic's ability to serve his way out of trouble was the deciding factor, saving four of five break-point opportunities, while Nakashima could only save six out of 10.

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime booked his spot in the second semi-final after defeating America's Steve Johnson 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

The 22-year-old winner – who now sits ninth in the world rankings – served up 17 aces in the contest, while Johnson, who is usually known for his serve, could only muster four.

Cameron Norrie was a straights-sets winner over Radu Albot, although he needed a second-set tie-break to get the job done in a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) triumph.

Meanwhile, Norrie's British compatriot Daniel Evans won a war of attrition against American Taylor Fritz at the Washington Open, pulling ahead 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 4-1 before the heavy favourite retired due to the oppressive conditions.

With rising temperatures, combined with spots of rain, the humidity threatened to claim a number of scalps as multiple players in Thursday's action took extended medical timeouts, before a serious downpour halted the rest of play.

The only other matches to reach their conclusion were Yoshihito Nishioka's 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-1) win against Karen Khachanov, and a 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 triumph for Sweden's Mikael Ymer against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.

When play resumes, Nick Kyrgios will look to finish off Reilly Opelka after reaching the rain with a 7-6 (7-1) 2-1 lead, and Grigor Dimitrov won his first set 6-4 against Sebastian Korda.

Botic van de Zandschulp was the beneficiary of the break against Frances Tiafoe, winning the first set 6-4 before slowing down in a big way to drop the second 6-2, but he will get a chance to recharge his batteries before the decider.

Novak Djokovic warned Wimbledon title pretenders his game is improving with every round as he eased past fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court.

Defending champion Djokovic won 6-0 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 53 minutes to book a last-16 clash with Dutch wild card Tim van Rijthoven.

The 20-time grand slam winner will carry out due diligence on Wimbledon rookie Van Rijthoven, who is through to the fourth round on his debut and has reeled off eight successive wins.

Van Rijthoven won the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships in the lead-up to this fortnight, stunning world number one Daniil Medvedev in the final.

Yet on the form that saw Djokovic crush Kecmanovic's hopes, Van Rijthoven will surely stand little hope of going any deeper into the tournament.

Djokovic won 88 per cent of points when landing his first serve in court, and he has now reached the fourth round at Wimbledon on 14 occasions, a performance only beaten in men's singles by Roger Federer (18) and Jimmy Connors (16).

"I thought I started off very, very well, very strong with a lot of good intensity, good focus," Djokovic said in an on-court interview.

"Honestly, I think I've been playing better and better as the tournament progresses, so that's something you wish for as a player, that every match you play you raise a level of tennis up a notch, at least, and I think that's what is happening at the moment.

"I know I can always do better, I always expect the highest from myself, and so far, so good, and I'm looking forward to the next challenge."

Data slam: Familiarity breeds familiar outcome

The battle of these Davis Cup team-mates was always unlikely to go the way of the 25th seed, and so it proved that Kecmanovic could not cope with the animal that Centre Court brings out in Djokovic.

This was a third career meeting in tournament action for the pair, with both previous encounters having come at the Serbia Open. Kecmanovic took the opener against Djokovic before slumping to defeat when they played in Belgrade in April, but this was a rout, the 22-year-old underdog trampled.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 36/19
Kecmanovic– 13/27

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 6/4
Kecmanovic – 1/5

BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic - 6/12
Kecmanovic - 1/4