Djokovic holds on in Dubai, extends winning streak to 18

By The Associated Press
Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after he got a point against Czech Republic's Tomas Machac during a match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Kamran Jebreili]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic held on to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (1) at the Dubai Championships in his first match since winning his 10th Australian Open title. Djokovic’s first-round victory came a day after the 35-year-old Serb broke the record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the professional tennis rankings by a man or woman. Djokovic was a bit rusty on his return from a few weeks off after overcoming a hamstring problem in Australia to win his record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam singles title. He led 4-1 in the third set Tuesday before the 130th-ranked Machac forced a tiebreaker. Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime also posted victories.

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