Novak Djokovic scooped his 89th career title with victory over Marin Cilic in Sunday's Tel Aviv Open final.
Playing his first singles event since winning Wimbledon in July, Djokovic landed a 6-3 6-4 victory, improving his career head-to-head winning record to 19-2 against former US Open champion Cilic.
He broke serve to lead 3-1 in the opening set, and then struck immediately in the second set to tighten his grip on the contest, completing the task with a service winner on his first championship point.
This indoor hard-court success goes down as a third title of the year for Djokovic, who won the Internazionali d'Italia on clay before triumphing on the Wimbledon grass. He is the first man to win a title on all three surfaces in 2022 at ATP Tour level.
Prevented from playing the North American hard-court stretch of the season, due to his refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic sat out the US Open.
He made his first post-Wimbledon appearance at the invitational Laver Cup team event in London last week, which doubled up as Roger Federer's retirement party.
At the age of 35, Djokovic hopes to be a presence on tour for a good while to come, and Sunday's straight-sets picking apart of Cilic was a fresh demonstration of his enduring prowess.
A double doink with the last kick of the game saw the New Orleans Saints fall to a 28-25 defeat against the Minnesota Vikings in London.
The Saints defence kept Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins' impact on the game limited for the majority, before crucial plays in the fourth quarter saw the game turn on its head on numerous occasions.
Justin Jefferson punched the Vikings in front, but the extra point was missed, with the Saints then stopped by the Vikings defense, though Wil Lutz struck a field goal from 60 yards to tie the game.
The Vikings pulled ahead from the following drive with Joseph kicking a fifth field goal of the game, but there was still time for more drama, Lutz striking the left upright and the crossbar with a 61-yard attempt with the final kick of the game.
The contest was tied at the two-minute warning before half-time, Chris Olave's first career touchdown cancelling out Alexander Mattison's opener on the first drive, and the Vikings pushed ahead with three field goals, including two in the final 70 seconds of the half.
The Saints finally burst into action with a 78-yard drive down the field in the third quarter, the highlight being Andy Dalton's 33-yard throw to Marquez Callaway, and Latavius Murray punched in from a yard to bring the game to within a score.
That sparked new life into the Saints, despite another Vikings field goal, Taysom Hill putting the designated home side ahead before New Orleans moved three ahead with a successful two-point conversion, though Jefferson's three-yard reception put the Vikings ahead again.
A 60-yard field goal from Lutz tied the game at the start of the two-minute warning, but Joseph stepped up again to deliver with his kick.
The Saints then faced defeat in agonising fashion as the last-gasp effort from Lutz struck the upright and bounced off the crossbar to decide the game as the Saints fell to 1-3 for the season.
Ryan Fox held his nerve to claim his second DP World Tour win of the year after posting a four-under final round to take the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by a single stroke.
The New Zealander clawed back a four-shot deficit to pick up his third tour title on the Old Course at St Andrews, edging out Callum Shinkwin and Alex Noren for top spot with a total of 15 under par.
Fox took advantage of a final-day collapse from overnight leader Richard Mansell, who blew his sizeable advantage with a closing 76 to fall back into a tie for seventh.
Despite three bogeys, the 35-year-old kept his composure with seven birdie finishes across the day, enough to see off challenges from Englishman Shinkwin and Sweden's Noren in the closing stages.
The trio just beat out Rory McIlroy, with the FedEx Cup Champion posting the second-best round of the day on six under to come home in fourth, on the course where he narrowly lost the Open Championship earlier this year.
The Northern Irishman carded 75 on Friday to effectively take him out of the running, though his impressive rally was bettered only by South African George Coetzee, who managed an impressive seven-under 65.
Victory caps a bumper year for Fox, who reached a highest world ranking of 46 in July and romped to a five-stroke victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic back in February.
His only other tour title came in 2019, when he claimed the Perth International.
Marc-Andrea Husler beat world number 31 Holger Rune 6-4 7-6 (10-8) to become the Sofia Open champion and earn his first tour-level title.
Rune reached Sunday's decider with a semi-final triumph over top seed Jannik Sinner, who was bidding to win three straight titles in Sofia.
But it was Husler who took the first set, breaking his Danish opponent in the first game of the match before holding in all five of his service games to clinch the opener.
The second set was another tight affair, as both players continued to dominate on their serve. However, the match hit a crucial juncture with Rune leading the second set 6-5, as he spurned two set points to break Husler and level the final up.
Husler survived to take the second set to a tie-break, though Rune again had the opportunity to make it one set apiece as he failed to convert another two set points in the tie-break.
And Husler took advantage with two crucial breaks of Rune's serve to seal the victory and become the first Swiss player to win an ATP Tour title since Roger Federer in 2019.
"I am completely taken aback," Husler said in his on-court interview.
"I am lost for words. It was a great match. I played a great, great match for sure. I just tried to stay focused, stayed calm and I am just really happy I was able to make it."
Max Verstappen bemoaned a "messy" performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton vowed to "live and learn" to recover from another disappointing showing.
Red Bull driver Verstappen had won five straight races and recorded 12 victories in 2022 to head into Sunday's race with a 116-point championship lead.
But the Dutchman struggled on a soaked Marina Bay Street Circuit, finishing seventh as Charles Leclerc – who came in second behind Sergio Perez – cut Verstappen's advantage to 104 points.
Perez also trails his Red Bull team-mate by 106 points, though Verstappen could still secure the world title at the next race in Japan.
"It's not where we want to be," Verstappen told Sky Sports. "Yesterday, you put yourself in a spot like that and it can either work brilliantly and you can drive back to the front. Or you don't and it's very frustrating like we had [today].
"Seventh is better than eighth but it's not what I'm here for, not with a car like that and what we showed in practice. It's just incredibly messy."
Hamilton was another left frustrated as Formula One returned to Singapore for the first time in three years, slipping down to ninth after starting on the grid in third.
The seven-time world champion was initially edged out by Carlos Sainz on the first corner before crashing into the barriers later in the race when attempting to overtake the Ferrari driver.
"I think we started off with a pretty decent weekend and were just really, really unfortunate at the end," Hamilton added to Sky Sports.
"It was difficult to overtake and that lock-up into Turn 7 – when those things happen your heart sinks a little bit.
"But you get back up again and you try. It wasn't the greatest day, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
"It all went out the window when I locked up, so my apologies to the team, but we live and learn, and I'll recover."
Sergio Perez labelled the Singapore Grand Prix victory as his "best performance" after holding off Charles Leclerc on a soaked Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Ferrari driver Leclerc started on pole on Sunday ahead of Perez, who breezed into the lead at the first corner as Formula One racing returned to Singapore for the first time in three years.
The wet conditions that caused the race to be delayed by an hour were a problem throughout, with numerous safety cars deployed as five drivers failed to finish.
Perez held his nerve despite late pressure from Leclerc to claim his second victory of the season and fourth of his career to end Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen's five-race winning streak.
"It was certainly my best performance," Perez told Sky Sports after the conclusion. "I controlled the race.
"The last three laps were so intense – when I got out of the car, I felt it. I gave everything."
While Perez celebrated on the podium, stewards investigated a possible infringement behind the safety car – a misdemeanour that Ferrari deemed worthy of a 10-second time penalty.
"I have no idea what's going on, they just told me I was under investigation and to increase the gap," Perez added after finishing seven seconds ahead of Ferrari's Leclerc.
Leclerc's colleague Carlos Sainz settled for third after battling with Lewis Hamilton on the opening corner, with the Briton finishing in ninth after another frustrating outing.
"It was very tough out there," Sainz said. "I never really got into a rhythm in the wet and then couldn't challenge the top two guys.
"I had to settle for P3, but the good thing is I didn't do any mistakes and could bring the car home and be quick towards the end of the race.
"It's a good result for the team in the Constructors' Championship."
Sergio Perez secured a fourth Formula One triumph and second of the season as he dominated at the Singapore Grand Prix, ending Max Verstappen's five-race winning streak.
Verstappen headed into Sunday's race with a 116-point lead at the top of the championship, aiming for a sixth straight win and 12th victory of 2022 as he edges towards the title.
Yet it was Red Bull team-mate Perez who added to his Monaco Grand Prix crown earlier in the year by winning at a soaked Marina Bay Street Circuit, where safety cars were a regular feature.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished in second and third respectively, with Verstappen's championship lead over the Monegasque driver dropping to 104 points after the Dutchman came in seventh.
After an hour-long delay, Perez raced out the blocks to take the lead from Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton recovered after being forced off the track in a battle with Sainz.
A plethora of safety cars followed as Zhou Guanyu, Nicholas Latifi, Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon all retired inside the first 28 laps.
Perez continued to clock the fastest laps at the front before Hamilton – frustrated by Sainz in third – slammed into the barriers, with Lando Norris overtaking his fellow Briton.
Yuki Tsunoda's crash saw another safety car deployed before Verstappen swerved off the track to drop down to 12th, though he recovered to overtake Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas.
Perez's domination under the lights continued despite the push of Leclerc as the Red Bull driver claimed victory at the first F1 race in Singapore in three years.
'I TOLD YOU' – HAMILTON BEMOANS MERCEDES TYRE DECISION
Hamilton started the race in third but fell down a place after a first-corner battle with Sainz saw the seven-time world champion edged off the track.
"I told you about these tyres, in future you need to listen to me. No grip," Hamilton declared on the team radio soon after, lamenting Mercedes' late decision to operate on intermediate tyres.
It was not the first time Hamilton – who ended in ninth – has exchanged such words with his team, adding to a frustrating season that could end without a single victory for the first time in his career.
ALONSO DENIED HISTORY
Alpine's Alonso was aiming to surpass Kimi Raikkonen for the most Grand Prix finishes in history as the Spaniard looked to complete his 351st race.
But after stating "engine, engine" on the team radio, Alonso was forced to withdraw before the halfway point in Singapore, leaving him waiting to overtake Raikkonen.
Barbora Krejcikova claimed her first title of the year by beating top seed Anett Kontaveit in the inaugural Tallinn Open final on Sunday.
Krejcikova had not won a singles title since her third triumph of 2021 in Prague last July, but ended her drought with a 6-2 6-3 defeat of the top seed.
The Czech ended the home favourite's hopes of being crowned champion in a showpiece match that was over in an hour and 21 minutes.
Kontaveit had won 24 consecutive indoor matches on hard courts, but she was no match for the 2021 French Open champion.
Krejcikova won 71 per cent of points on Kontaveit's second serve, breaking twice in the opening set and three times in the second.
She drew first blood to go 4-2 in the first following precise groundstrokes off both wings, then broke for a second time to seal an opening set in which Kontaveit made 13 unforced errors.
World number four Kontaveit responded with a break in the opening game of the second set, but failed to back that up with a hold.
Kontaveit had the initiative again at 3-1, but there was a sense of deja vu as her opponent broke straight back and served out the match after moving 5-3 in front with another break.
Johann Zarco says he was happy to give Francesco Bagnaia a helping hand in the MotoGP title race rather than push for a Thailand Grand Prix victory on Sunday.
Miguel Oliveira secured his second win of the season on a wet day in Buriram following a delayed start due to heavy rain, with Bagnaia third behind Jack Miller.
Zarco moved up to fourth as he thrived in drier conditions late in the race, but the Pramac Racing rider resisted the temptation to push for victory at the risk of damaging Bagnaia's title hopes.
With Fabio Quartararo only able to finish 17th, Ducati's Bagnaia reduced the defending champion's lead in the standings to only two points with three races to go.
Zarco said: "I was waiting for it to get drier, but it came a bit too late. The amount of water at the beginning of the race was difficult for me.
"The others had a bit more pace and I could not attack too much, I was sliding, so I've lost positions.
"Then it took time to get dry, if it could get dry a bit earlier I would have taken the advantage much earlier and could think about the victory.
"Four laps from the end I was there and two laps from the end almost fighting for the podium, but also hesitating a bit with Pecco as he is doing a great championship.
"I didn't want to make a mistake in the Ducati group. I was really hoping for victory today in these conditions, but I stayed fourth and it's good enough for me."
He added: "It's kind of being clever in the championship. I have lost too many points many races ago.
"I need to race to try to catch a victory, but I have nothing to fight for [in the championship battle], so that's why.
"We are a big group at Ducati, I think if we can sometimes give help in some way, I'm pretty glad the race has been like that."
Aleix Espargaro finished back in 11th and is 20 points adrift of Quartararo, while rookie Marco Bezzecchi crossed the line in 16th after starting on pole for the first time.
Fabio Quartararo endured a Thailand Grand Prix nightmare as Miguel Oliveira secured his second victory of the season on a wet Sunday in Buriram.
Quartararo's lead over Francesco Bagnaia in the battle for the MotoGP title is down to only two points with three races to go after the reigning champion could only finish 17th.
Bagnaia had been 18 points adrift of the championship leader after crashing out on the final lap in Japan last weekend, but reduced the deficit by taking third place at the Chang International Circuit, where Aleix Espargaro finished back in 11th
Oliveira secured a brilliant win after starting back in 11th, with Jack Miller second and Bagnaia holding on for the final podium spot under pressure from Johann Zarco and Marc Marquez.
Rookie Marco Bezzecchi retained his lead following a delayed start due to heavy rain, but had to drop into second behind Miller as punishment for exceeding track limits at Turn 1.
Quartararo plummeted from fourth to 17th on the opening lap, with title rival Bagnaia briefly in second before Miller passed him.
Espargaro made contact with Brad Binder early in another exhilarating race, with Luca Marini sliding off into the gravel and Oliveira moving into second spot as the track dried out.
Marquez surged into fourth place as Quartararo continued to struggle, while Espargaro's title hopes suffered another blow when he was given a long-lap penalty for his clash with Binder.
Oliveira powered past Miller to take the lead 11 laps from the finish and there was no catching the Red Bull KTM rider, as he won for the first time since the second round of the season in Indonesia.
TOP 10
1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) 41:44.503
2. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.703
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +1.968
4. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +2.490
5. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +2.958
6. Enea Bastianini (Gresini) +13.257
7. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +14.566
8. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) +14.861
9. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +15.365
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +18.097
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 219
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 217
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 199
4. Enea Bastianini (Gresini) 180
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) 179
Teams
1. Ducati 398
2. Aprilia Racing 321
3. Red Bull KTM 285
4. Pramac Racing 278
5. Monster Energy Yamaha 250
Center Steven Adams has signed a multi-year extension with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Though terms were not officially disclosed when the agreement was announced on Saturday, a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN stated it to be a two-year, $25.2million deal.
The 29-year-old New Zealander has altered his role in recent years, having previously averaged 13.9 points per game in consecutive seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder between 2017 and 2019.
Last season, he averaged just 6.9 points for the Grizzlies, but had his best campaign ever for both rebounds (10.0 per game) and assists (3.4 per game).
In fact, his 349 total offensive rebounds and 4.6 offensive rebounds per game were the best numbers in the league, breaking the single-season franchise records set by Zach Randolph during the 2009-10 season.
The Grizzlies begin the 2022-23 season at home to the New York Knicks on October 19.
Yoshihito Nishioka produced an impressive display to shock Denis Shapovalov in the Korea Open final and win his first ATP Tour title in four years.
The Japanese player earned a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) triumph in a competitive contest against fourth seed Shapovalov on Sunday that lasted just under two hours.
Victory gave Nishioka his first trophy since the Shenzhen Open in 2018 and capped a memorable week that also saw him defeat top seed Casper Ruud at the ATP 250 event in Seoul.
Nishioka took a big step towards the second title of his career by breaking Shapovalov at a crucial moment when he was 5-4 up in the opener, both players having earlier saved break points.
His Canadian opponent was in the ascendancy after claiming an early break in the second set but Nishioka fought back from 3-1 down to force a tie-break and then won four of the first five points in the breaker.
Despite Shapovalov reducing the deficit, he was consigned to defeat when he sent a forehand wide, Nishioka dropping to his knees in delight after converting his second match point.
Shapovalov, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, has now lost in four consecutive ATP final appearances and still has just one career title to his name.
The Miami Marlins have elected to shut down National League (NL) Cy Young Award favourite Sandy Alcantara for the remainder of the season.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly announced the decision, which he clarified was not that of the 27-year-old right-hander.
The Marlins will miss the postseason, sitting fourth in the NL East with a 66-92 record.
Alcantara is among the NL Cy Young favourites along with Zach Gallen, Julio Urias and Max Fried.
Alcantara (14-9) has been a standout, with a 2.28 ERA over 32 starts, leading the majors with 228-and-two-thirds innings. He has struck out 207 and walked 50 batters.
"Sandy was, obviously, he's one of those guys that wants to keep going," Mattingly said. "We got to do the best thing for Sandy, and we felt like this was it."
"It's pretty incredible really what Sandy's been able to do. There's no reason to have him continue this year. We got to take care of Sandy first."
Meanwhile, New York Yankees veteran reliever Zack Britton has been placed on their 60-day injured list after failing in his early return from Tommy John surgery.
The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first National League (NL) side in 113 years to reach 110 wins in a single season after rallying for a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.
The last NL side to achieve that fear were the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1909. The Dodgers better their record still, with four regular-season games remaining.
The Dodgers also became just the seventh side in MLB history to record 110 wins in a single season, joining the 2001 Mariners (116), 1906 Cubs (116), 1998 Yankees (114), 1954 Cleveland (111), 1927 Yankees (110) and 1909 Pirates (110).
It was not easy this time, trailing 4-1 entering the seventh inning before a patient batting performance where they drew five straight walks, before Cody Bellinger's sacrifice fly tied the game.
Joey Gallo's sac fly put the Dodgers ahead in the eighth inning before Bellinger's RBI single padded the win.
The victory was the Dodgers' 47th comeback of the season, improving their overall record to 110-48.
Swanson steps up as Braves edge Mets
Dansby Swanson underlined his quality in the big moments with a game-changing two-run blast from Max Scherzer in the Atlanta Braves' crunch 4-2 win over the New York Mets in the NL East battle.
Trailing 2-1 at the bottom of the fifth inning with one out on a 3-2 pitch, Swansby blasted Scherzer over center field to homer for the second consecutive day.
The result means the Braves (99-59) lead the NL East by one game with four remaining, sitting ahead of the Mets (98-60).
Padres slug three home runs
Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado and Juan Soto all crushed homers as the San Diego Padres sliced their magic number to one with a 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.
At 1-1 at the bottom of the sixth inning, Cronenworth deposited a slider from Cy Young hopeful Dylan Cease for a two-run blast over right field.
The Padres' win, combined with the Milwaukee Brewers' 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins was significant in the NL Wild Card race.
San Diego are in the second slot with a 87-71 record, while the Brewers are fourth at 84-74, either side of the Philadelphia Phillies (85-73) who beat the Washington Nationals 8-2 after Kyle Schwarber's leadoff blast.
The unaffiliated neurologist who cleared Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of concussion during last week's game against the Buffalo Bills has been fired.
ESPN is reporting that the dismissal came about due to "several mistakes" being discovered in his evaluation of the Dolphins' QB, who underwent tests at half-time of the game before playing out a 21-19 win.
Tagovailoa, however, suffered a scary concussion in Miami's next game, Thursday's 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, having been stretchered off and taken to hospital in the second quarter.
The NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) launched an investigation into a potential protocol violation after the Dolphins-Bills game, which remains ongoing.
The NFL and NFLPA put out a joint statement on Saturday stating a desire to improve the concussion protocol process.
"The NFL and the NFLPA agree that modifications to the concussion protocol are needed to enhance player safety," the statement said.
"The NFL and the NFLPA agree that The NFLPA's Mackey-White Health & Safety Committee and the NFL's Head Neck and Spine Committee have already begun conversations around the use of the term 'Gross Motor Instability' and we anticipate changes to the protocol being made in the coming days based on what has been learned thus far in the review process.
"The NFL and NFLPA share a strong appreciation for the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants who contribute their time and expertise to our game solely to advance player safety. This program has made our game safer for the athletes who play it for the past 12 seasons."
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had defended his and his side's decision to allow Tagovailoa to play on against the Bills, insisting he had been passed protocols and been cleared by the independent neurologist.
Mark Hubbard has been consistent throughout at the Country Club of Jackson but he pulled out his best round yet to claim a one-stroke lead from Mackenzie Hughes at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Saturday.
Hubbard holed six birdies on the back nine, including five in a row, as he carded a seven-under 65, the second-best round of the day, to move into the lead at 15 under.
The 33-year-old American joined Hughes and Scott Stallings in the co-lead after a classy chip and putt on the par-four 15th hole for birdie, before an excellent 203-yard approach set him up for birdie on the 18th.
Hubbard, who carded rounds of 67 and 69 on the opening two days respectively, holds a one-shot lead from joint day two leader Hughes who shot at four-under 68 on Saturday.
Hughes also enjoyed the back nine with four birdies, including holing a 29-foot putt on the 18th after a bogey on the 17th to stay in touch with Hubbard.
The pair are well placed to contend for the title, with the next best being three players at 12 under after three rounds, in Garrick Higgo, Stallings and Sep Straka.
Stallings was firmly in contention before two bogeys on his final three holes blemished his day, having been bogey-free with six birdies to that point.
Keegan Bradley, who shot the best round of the day with an eight-under 64, and Nick Hardy are tied at 11 under, with Emiliano Grillo, Dean Burmester and Kim Seong-hyeon one further stroke behind.
Belgian Thomas Detry, who had shared the lead with Hughes after 36 holes, endured a tough day that included three bogeys to slip seven strokes behind the leader.
Davis Riley is looming at nine-under overall, while pre-tournament favourites Andrew Putnam and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are eight under after both carded rounds of 69, with reigning champion Sam Burns battling to make a charge, back at six under.
Shohei Ohtani has agreed to a $30million contract with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2023 season, avoiding the need for arbitration.
Reigning AL MVP Ohtani will now become a free agent after next year, having been handed the largest ever MLB deal for an arbitration-eligible player.
It is rich reward for the two-way superstar, who is being paid a relatively meagre $5.5m this year.
The agreement puts Ohtani in a strong position to make a decision on his future in 12 months' time.
Los Angeles will hope the Japanese recommits, though they have had a losing record in each of his four seasons in LA.
Indeed, the Angels have had seven straight years with a losing record and eight straight without reaching the playoffs.
Ohtani is in direct competition with Aaron Judge for this year's MVP award, but he will be watching from home as the New York Yankees' record-setter enters the postseason.
Despite his dual role, only seven pitchers have more wins this season than Ohtani (15), while his 15-game hitting streak is the longest active run in the major leagues.
Novak Djokovic is yet to drop a set at the Tel Aviv Open as he reached the final with a 6-1 7-6 (7-3) success over Roman Safiullin.
The Serb broke his Russian opponent twice as he cruised to the opening set, and though Safiullin took the 21-time grand slam champion to a tie-break in the second, Djokovic's class showed as he won the tie-break 7-3 to ensure his place in Sunday's decider.
It was far from plain sailing for Djokovic, who conceded the tension in the second set was hard to handle.
Djokovic said: "I think it was a very competitive match, especially in the second set.
"I must say I was quite emotional on the court today in the second set, there was a lot of tension, and that was also due to his aggressive style of tennis. Big serves, and when he has time, he's so solid from the forehand and backhand corner.
"I knew that I had to stay very strong, and that he was definitely going to raise his level in the second set, which happened. I was serving for the match and played a couple of loose points, but credit to him for fighting back. It was an enjoyable evening on the court for sure."
Marin Cilic secured his spot as Djokovic's final opponent with a comfortable straight sets triumph over Constant Lestienne.
The Croatian second seed served 14 aces as he eased to victory in under two hours, winning 11 out of his 12 first-serve points en route to a 7-5 6-3 win.
Holger Rune is into the Sofia Open final after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire through injury with the Dane leading 5-7 6-4 5-2.
Sinner won the opening set but lost the second, and with Rune just one game away from winning the match, the top seed chose to retire with ankle pain, putting an end to his hopes of winning three straight titles in Sofia.
Rune will face Marc-Andrea Huesler in the final, after the world number 95 upset fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti.
The first set went to a tie-break as neither could find a break of serve, though Musetti found two in the tie-break to help him to a 5-1 lead.
However, the Italian surrendered the next six points as Huesler pulled off an incredible comeback to take the first set.
The second set was another tight affair as both held serve after serve, but Huesler finally found a crucial break to prevail 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.
Aleix Espargaro is ready to adopt an "all or nothing" approach in Sunday's Thailand Grand Prix, with his MotoGP title hopes hanging by a thread.
A poor qualifying session saw the Aprilia rider miss out on Q2 and he will begin the race from 13th, while he stands 25 points behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo.
With just four races remaining on the schedule, time is running out for Espargaro to launch an assault on the title, and he is hoping for rain to turn the tide in his favour on Sunday.
"The difference is not an abyss, but I have to drive perfectly all the time. It will be a very difficult race for me, but I think it is not as negative as it seems," Espargaro said after qualifying.
"Anything can happen in the race. It can rain, it can be flag to flag, so I don't lose hope, and we have to cut distances as it is.
"The only thing that is clear to me is that tomorrow if it rains it is all or nothing. There have been races where you had to finish and get points, but tomorrow, if God gives us an opportunity with a flag to flag, or with rain, we have to go to the top because it is one of the few options we have."
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