Djokovic on a roll
Cincinnati, August 17
Novak Djokovic wore down Lucas Pouille after an even first set, dispatching the Frenchman 7-6(2) 6-1 in a Cincinnati Masters quarterfinal in Ohio on Friday.
The match was much closer than when the pair met in the Australian Open semifinals in January, when Djokovic conceded only four games before going on to win the title.
It took Djokovic nearly an hour to prevail in the first set but he closed out a one-sided tiebreak with a deft backhand passing shot.
The second was one-way traffic as the world No. 1 played with relentless efficiency against an opponent who ran out of answers.
Perhaps the only concern for Djokovic with the US Open looming in less than two weeks was a sore elbow which required brief treatment by his trainer late in the match.
“I managed to finish the match, had a little bit of tightness in my elbow but hopefully everything will be fine for tomorrow,” said Djokovic.
He will have less than 24 hours to recover for a semifinal against Daniil Medvedev, who continued his recent hot form, ousting Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-3 in barely an hour.
Medvedev, a career-high eighth in the rankings, faced only one break point.
He has made two finals in the past two weeks, losing to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and Rafa Nadal in Montreal.
In other quarterfinal action, Frenchman Richard Gasquet continued his comeback from groin surgery by defeating 11th seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(2) 3-6 6-2. Gasquet, who defeated Andy Murray in the opening round, set up a semifinal clash with Belgian 16th seed David Goffin.
Goffin advanced when his quarterfinal opponent, Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, pulled out before their match on Friday due to illness.
Gasquet underwent groin surgery in January and returned to competition in May. “I didn’t play for six months, so it’s great to be back here and reaching the semi-finals aged 33,” said Gasquet.
“Goffin is a tough guy, one of the fastest from the baseline, so I will be prepared to battle and to fight.”
Osaka injured
World No. 1 Naomi Osaka retired from the Cincinnati Masters with an apparent knee injury, less than two weeks before the start of her US Open title defence.
Osaka was trailing American Sofia Kenin in the third set of their quarterfinal when she sought treatment on her left knee.
After briefly returning to play, Osaka retired with Kenin leading 6-4 1-6 2-0.
The Japanese star’s withdrawal leaves both of the 2018 US Open finalists having retired from the tournament.
American Serena Williams withdrew with back problems after also pulling out from the final of the previous week’s Rogers Cup with similar concerns.
“This isn’t the way I wanted to win,” said Kenin. “I wish Naomi a speedy recovery so she can get ready for the US Open. She’s a great player and I have a lot of respect for her.”
Australian Ash Barty, the world No. 2, needed to rally for a 5-7 6-2 6-0 victory over Greek Maria Sakkari.
Barty will face Russian veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova in semifinals and victory would return her to top of the world rankings.
She surged to a 4-1 lead in the first set before the Greek took control with a string of backhand winners.
The Australian cleaned up her game in the second set, however, rediscovering the backhand slice that had deserted her in the opener.
“It was important for me at the start of the second set to go back to basics and what worked before,” said the 23-year-old Barty.
“I had to serve well, and not give her too many looks at second serves. I tried to bring in my slice to change the tempo of the match.” Kuznetsova outlasted Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova 3-6 7-6(2) 6-3, having been a set down with her opponent serving for the match. — Reuters
