Djokovic bypasses Monfils to reach semi-finals
Serbia's Novak Djokovic overcame Frenchman Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Wednesday, winning comfortably 7–6 (7–2) 6–1 6–2.
Monfils managed to break the third seed's serve in the first set, but failed to capitalize on his lead and lost after a tie break.
The Frenchman struggled in New York's windy conditions as he suffered his fifth defeat to Djokovic in five meetings.
"The first set was one of the turning points," said Djokovic, who is now through to the semi-finals of the tournament for the fourth consecutive year. "He had a break advantage and I managed to come back. I was focused when I needed to be. These are the worst conditions so far. I'm fortunate to be in the semi-finals.
The Serb has two days to recover before his next match, where he will face world number one Roger Federer.
Monfils fails to pounce in first set
Having made a correct challenge at 1–1 in the first set, Monfils pounced on two mistakes by Djokovic to break the Serbian's serve.
With a stunning shot between the legs, Monfils then went up to a 3–1 lead after an impressive love service game.
But at 4–3, the wind began to take its toll on Monfils, as he misjudged a ball by Djokovic to drop a point. The third seed then went on to break, pulling level at 4–4.
Monfils forced Djokovic to a tie break, but once there he posed no real threat. Djokovic gained a 3–0 lead and won the tie break after converting his fifth and final set point.
Last two sets no match for Djokovic
From then on, things looked relatively straightforward for Djokovic. Monfils failed to attack the Serbian, who dictated most of the game without really being pressured.
Though the 17th seed broke Djokovic's serve after the Serb had gained a 3–0 lead, Djokovic broke back immediately and then cruised to a 6–1 set victory.
With an impressive forehand drive, Djokovic broke at 2–1 in the third set, at which point his victory seemed inevitable.
After a brief baseline exchange during Djokovic's first match point, Monfils belted a simple shot wide of the court, showing a lack of focus that had been present all afternoon.
Djokovic will now face Federer, who will look to knock the Serbian out of the tournament for the fourth year in a row.
"He's a great champion, of course, a great player," Djokovic said about his semi-final opponent. "But you never know what's going to happen. I don't want to think about those losses in the last three years, which were really, really close in all those matches. So in this moment I'm feeling quite comfortable in the court, and hopefully I can continue on."
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