In Sunday’s final Djokovic will find 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik, who surprisingly hit the most important milestone of his career by beating U.S. Taylor Fritz in the deciding tie break (76 46 76). Deciding the challenge were the 25 aces Mensik netted in 17 turnovers, but above all the two masterful tie-breaks he dominated and won both by 7 points to 4.

“Responding today was really difficult – Jakub Mensik commented at the end of the match – and that pretty much took away my chance to break. I thought the’only chance was to win the tie-breaks and that”.

Fritz was two points away from defeat at 4-5 and 5-6 in the third set, but he still managed to finish the match by holding all 17 turnovers (80 percent points made with the first serve by Fritz, 82 percent by Mensik). In the deciding tie-break Mensik won a crazy 27-point exchange that allowed him to make the mini-break and hoist himself to double match point. The first was enough for him to get a resounding victory.

Even the third weekend of the season started decidedly uphill for Pecco Bagnaia, who took off the pass for Q2 in the pre-qualifying session in Austin mocking Fabio Quartararo by just 120 thousandths. Speaking to the microphones of “Sky Sport MotoGp”, the Ducati centaur bluntly analyzed his tenth place.

“The conditions were not the best. I chose to still go with the soft tire on the front, but I couldn&#8217t take advantage of the situation at all. However, I am in the ten, so all in all it” began the centaur from Piedmont.

“I struggled a little bit’ only in Turn 1, but otherwise it went very well. I take pretty much all the gap in the first two sectors, which is where you have to take advantage of the soft d’forward and I couldn&#8217t do that. It’s a shame, but the goal was to be in the ten and the feeling with the bike is good” continued the Ducati rider.

“I had a lot of margin, but with the soft tire I felt I was struggling on corner entry, so I preferred not to risk too much. I already looked at the data of those who could exploit it well like Marc, and I was losing a life in all phases of entry. Overall, I did not take unnecessary risks, because the’important thing was to stay in the ten and we succeeded” added the number 63.

“I feel good, comfortable. I know how much I pushed and how much the others did, so I am quite calm. We are working and I think we are now in the right direction. I definitely feel better than the last two GPs. I know my potential and I know where I can go. Even the others know that these results are not my best, so I don’t need to put extra pressure on myself” concluded Pecco Bagnaia.

The third round of the new MotoGp season also begins in the sign of Marc Marquez. The Spanish centaur, in fact, after registering, despite falling, the third place in FP1, has made a vacuum in the pre-qualifying of the Austin Gp trimming more than seven tenths to his first pursuer, namely Fabio Di Giannantonio. Speaking to the microphones of “Sky Sport MotoGp”, the Ducati rider wanted to analyze overall his performance during the two sessions.

“Our goal was to start the weekend well. Maybe I pushed a little bit’ too much in FP1 and crashed in the wet. That shows me how everything can change from one moment to the next, then I didn&#8217t want to force it. In the afternoon the conditions improved and pre-qualifying went really well” began the Ducati centaur.

“I feel good and the bike is going really great. The FP1 crash, however, makes me realize that everything is on the line and can change in a few moments, so it will be crucial not to repeat the mistakes made today. I come from very complicated years, but now I feel fit and matured. After the Jerez crash everything changed. Now I am at my best and after the’experience of a year ago I can give my best” added Marc Marquez.