Peter Polansky couldn't believe nine years passed since he last faced Novak Djokovic.
It wasn't just a normal meeting, but the last time the two converged on the tennis court was at the 2009 Rogers Cup in Montreal. The Serbian, who was the fourth-ranked player in the world at the time, ousted Polansky in straight sets.
"He was a little bit of a different player back then," Polansky said. "But I feel like his game style will just suit me a bit more compared to playing someone like Federer, one of the big three, one of the big guys.
When Polansky and Djokovic met on the familiar surface on Wednesday afternoon, the Canadian was unable to avenge his loss from nearly a decade ago. Polansky fell in straight sets, 6-3 6-4, in a lengthy battle with Djokovic.
Falling in love with this city once again...@DjokerNole defeats Toronto local Polansky 6-3 6-4 to reach third round.#RogersCup pic.twitter.com/v4DAi1kaJ2
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 8, 2018
Djokovic survived the first set scare from the hometown favourite.
He totaled seven aces to Polansky's zero throughout the 34-minute set. Polansky, however, won first three of the first six games in the first set. He fought to two break points and was on the verge of taking his first lead of the match over Djokovic.
Djokovic stymied Polansky's offensive effort by capturing the ensuing five points to take the 5-3 first-set lead.
Polansky continued to cause great concern for Djokovic throughout the second set. The 30-year-old fought off an early break point to seize an early 2-1 lead over Djokovic, which he rode to the crucial ninth game of the set. At 4-4 apiece, Polansky relinquished three straight points to the Wimbledon champion.
The York, Toronto native fought off four break points before Djokovic overpowered for the one-game advantage heading into the eventual final service.