Novak Djokovic was unexpectedly defeated by his compatriot Dusan Lajovic (70 ATP), 6-4, 7-6(6), in the quarterfinals of the “ATP 250” tournament in Banja Luka.

Novak Djokovic knocked out by Dusan Lajovic at ATP in Banja Luka

If at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo he left the competition in the 1/8 finals, losing to Lorenzo Musetti, the world leader could not go beyond the quarterfinals in Banja Luka.

After winning the first set with a score of 6-4, Dusan Lajovic tied with Djokovic in the second set, which he managed to take to a tiebreak.

Even though the top favorite was leading 4-1, Lajovic made a great comeback at the end and in the final from 8-6 down.

In the semi-finals, Dusan Lajović will meet with the winner of the Serbian Miomir Kecmanović (33 ATP) and the Czech Jiří Lehecká (36 ATP).

The tournament in Banja Luka (Srpska Open) this year replaced the competition in Belgrade, the Novak tennis center is being reconstructed. The competition is part of the “ATP 250” category, takes place on clay and offers prize money of €562,815.