Shanghai Masters: Djokovic survives scare against Mensik; meets Fritz in the semifinals

Shanghai (China), October 11 (IANS) Novak Djokovic became the third oldest semi-finalist in ATP Masters 1000 series history (since 1990) as the 37-year-old survived a scare against Jakub Mensik to take a 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 win and advance to the final four stages on Friday in Shanghai. Djokovic has reached this stage for the ninth time on his way to winning his 100th Tour title.

After a slow start, Djokovic hit gear in a near-flawless second set in which he won 92 percent (11/12) of the points behind his first serve. He then ended the game in the next set.

“We fought head to head until the last moment. I was lucky to find great serves in the last game, a few aces, that helps. At the end of the first set, when I served for it, I didn’t serve that well. “He managed to turn things around by playing a good tiebreak,” Djokovic said in the post-match interview.

Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz in the semifinals on Saturday. The American defeated David Goffin 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to advance to the final four of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. With his 82-minute win, Fritz reached his third Masters 1000 hardcourt semifinal and his first since winning his only trophy at this level at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Fritz defeated Goffin in his first game against the Belgian since 2021, improving his season record to 49-19. According to Infosys ATP Stats, the 26-year-old converted three of seven break points, gained thanks to his excellent groundstrokes on both wings, and hardly seemed to let up during the quarterfinal match. He also became only the second American to reach the semifinals in Shanghai tournament history, joining Sebastian Korda in 2023.

“I feel like sometimes it takes a few games to find my routines, figure out what feels good and what works for me,” Fritz said after reaching his fifth Masters 1000 semifinal overall.

“Once I got through the first two rounds, I felt very locked in. “I’ve come so far, so I might as well put in a real effort and just enjoy being here,” Fritz said in an interview after the game.

–IANS

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