With his fourth victory at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Novak Djokovic secured a place among the final four, continuing his impressive run in China.
The four-time Shanghai champion and No. 4 seed advanced to his 80th career Masters 1000 semifinal, becoming the oldest player ever to reach that stage, after defeating world No. 44 Zizou Bergs of Belgium in straight sets, 6–3, 7–5.
Novak claimed the opening set thanks to a crucial break in the sixth game. He converted his second break point to move ahead, then fended off three break points in the following game to consolidate his lead. From there, the Serbian held serve with authority to close out the set 6–3 after 48 minutes.
The second set featured tight, evenly matched tennis until its dramatic conclusion. At 4–4, Novak raised his level, breaking Bergs to go up 5–4 and earning a chance to serve for the match. But the Belgian refused to fold — he broke back immediately to level the score at 5–5. Undeterred, Novak responded with brilliance in the next game, breaking once again with a spectacular point to take a 6–5 lead. He then saved a break point in the final game before sealing victory after one hour and 50 minutes of play.
In the semifinals, Novak will face one of the biggest surprises of the tournament – Valentin Vacherot of Monaco.
The 26-year-old qualifier, currently ranked No. 204 in the world, stunned No. 10 seed Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, rallying for a 2–6, 7–6, 6–4 victory.
Semifinal matches are scheduled for Saturday.
Photo: Profimedia
