Djokovic hammers Lu out of semis
Novak Djokovic blasted unseeded Yen-hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to progress to the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the second time in his career, having previously reached the semifinals three years ago in 2007.
Djokovic was in impeccable form as he eliminated Lu with a straight-set win on Court One. Third-seeded Djokovic ended up losing just 12 points in 13 service games, returning well and winning the majority of serve-and-volleys. The Serbian strolled into victory in just one hour and 51 minutes.
Lu shocked the men's tournament on Monday by pounding out Andy Roddick in the quarter final. He became the first Asian man in the Grand Slam quarters since Shuzo Matsuoka in 1995.
Lu was feathered by Djokovic in an effortless victory for the Serbian, who will now face either Czech Tomas Berdych or top seeded Roger Federer in the semifinal on Friday.
Djokovic played with concentration, which he lacks at times, and his 82nd ranked opponent did not put up too big of a fight.
Second semis for Djokovic
The 23-year-old Djokovic will appear in his second semi-final at Wimbledon, following his 2007 face-off with Nadal, during which he was forced to retire due to an injured foot.
In Wednesday’s match against Lu, Djokovic gave away only three points on his serve. One of those was a double fault, so clearly Lu was unable to put a dent in the powerful serve of the Serb. In fact, Lu was unable to muster up a break point throughout the entire match, while Djokovic came away with a total of 15.
Djokovic began playing in full form right from the beginning of the match, coming out with testing rallies against the overwhelmed Lu.
Lu managed to save two break points, thrilling the crowed of homeland supporters. Unable to contain his intense emotions for the ex-chicken chaser, one man called out: "I love you, Lu!" and seemed to be rewarded as Lu continued to hold serve.
Djokovic delivered a double fault in the next game, while Lu forced an error to come up to 40-30. Djokovic edged the game to two more break points, and Lu ended up sending a long backhand to bring it to 2-5. In just a few moments, Djokovic stole the set.
Djokovic appeared ruthless and unstoppable, showcasing his outstanding serve and flawless on court movement. His break points were adding up, and at 2-2 Lu let the ball long for another break.
Lu gave an improved display in the next game, earning as many points as he had in the opening set by managing to get to deuce on the Serbian's serve.
In fact, one of those points was from a double fault, and Djokovic continued to hold both his serve and his confidence. Shortly afterwards, the players witnessed a double break, where Djokovic finished off the set with an ace for the second time during the match. At this point Lu would have had to come up from being two sets down in order to defeat Djokovic, and considering that he had never accomplished this feat in the entire span of his professional career, it seemed unlikely.
In a short while, Lu was facing three break points again. He was simply unable to level with Djokovic, who ended up converting with an impressive cross-court backhand. At 1-3 Lu could do nothing but applaud, as Djokovic reached a clear winning point.
The 26-year-old Lu managed an outstanding win over Andy Roddick, to everyone’s surprise, and he will move inside the top 50 as a result of his effort in the quarter-finals.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is a serious contender for the Wimbledon title.
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