Novak Djokovic marked his return to the Swiss Indoors in Basel after a 15-year absence with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over France's Ugo Humbert on Tuesday. The 39-year-old Serbian, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, described the win as a "big win" as he continues his push to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.
Djokovic, currently 11th in the race to Turin, trails Spain's Rafael Jodar by 319 points for the final qualification spot. The victory was his 20th tour-level win of the year, extending his streak of seasons with at least 20 wins to 21 consecutive years. He saved two break points early in the second set before breaking Humbert's serve to turn the match around.
The former world number one, who won the Basel title in 2009 by defeating Roger Federer, is also chasing a 103rd career title to match Federer's Open-era record. Djokovic admitted he felt rusty in his first indoor match since winning the Athens title last November.
Dart advances in Guangzhou
In other action, Britain's Harriet Dart reached the quarter-finals of the Guangzhou Open with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over second seed Janice Tjen of Indonesia. The world number 115 will next face former world number two Paula Badosa, who dispatched Austria's Sinja Kraus 6-1, 6-4 in 67 minutes.
