Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz moved on to the semifinals at the Shanghai Masters on Friday.
Djokovic, a four-time champion, came back from losing the first set to defeat Czech player Jakub Mensik 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Mensik, who is ranked 65th, served 17 aces but also had six double faults and 32 unforced errors. This was their first match against each other.
“We went toe-to-toe until the last moment,” Djokovic said.
“I stayed collected and started off very well in the second set. We both had a physical crisis at the start of the set. We pushed each other a lot, with many long rallies. It was a tough battle, lasting almost two and a half hours.”
With this win, Djokovic reached his 77th Masters semifinal. Fritz, on the other hand, is in his fifth Masters semifinal after a solid 6-3, 6-4 win over Belgium’s David Goffin.
The American felt in control during his match and successfully converted three of his seven break points.
“I feel like sometimes it takes a couple of matches to find my routines, to find what feels good and what is working for me,” Fritz said. “I feel like once I get past the first two rounds, I feel very locked in. I’ve come this far already, so I might as well really dial it in and I’m just enjoying being here.”
Djokovic has won all nine matches he has played against Fritz.
In the other semifinal on Saturday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner will take on Tomas Machac, who defeated second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
