China Open 2015: Friday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Draw Schedule
| Men's Singles | ||
| Quarter-finals | (1) Novak Djokovic bt. (6) John Isner | 6-2, 6-2 |
| Quarter-finals | (3) Rafael Nadal bt. Jack Sock | 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| Quarter-finals | (4) David Ferrer bt. Yen-Hsun Lu | 6-3, 6-1 |
| Quarter-finals | Fabio Fognini bt. Pablo Cuevas | 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 |
| Women's Singles | ||
| Quarter-finals | (4) Agnieszka Radwanska bt. (10) Angelique Kerber | 6-1 6-4 |
| Quarter-finals | (5) Garbine Muguruza bt. Bethanie Mattek-Sands | 6-1, 7-5 |
| Quarter-finals | (6) Ana Ivanovic bt. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Quarter-finals | (12) Timea Bacsinszky bt. Sara Errani | 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 |
Novak Djokovic is into the semi-finals of the China Open, overcoming big-hitting American John Isner on Friday in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal is also through, but not without a scare, as he recovered from a set down to beat Jack Sock in his quarter-final encounter. Djokovic and Nadal will face David Ferrer and Fabio Fognini in the last four, respectively.
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In the women’s draw, fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska will go head-to-head with 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza in the semis after they both enjoyed confident wins in their respective quarter-final clashes. The other match will be between sixth seed Ana Ivanovic and 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky.
Here’s a look at Friday’s results in full and a recap of how the action played out on quarter-finals day in Beijing.
Djokovic, Nadal on Course for Final Showdown
Djokovic has been in mesmeric form all week, and he set the tempo from the off in his match with Isner, breaking the American’s big serve in the first game of the match. From that point on, it was always going to be tough for the sixth seed, with Novak emboldened.
As we can see, the Serb was full of confidence, per TennisTV:
Djokovic raced to the first set after that early break, taking it 6-2. Another break of serve in the second stanza all but ended Isner's chances, as the reigning champion ran out a 6-2 victor again, surging into the semi-finals.
Next for the 10-time Grand Slam champion will be Ferrer, who has been quietly going about his business at this tournament. The Spaniard was a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 winner against wild card Yen-Hsun Lu on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Nadal was made to work hard against a game opponent in Sock. The youngster flew out of the traps to take the first set, but as the clash settled down, the 14-time Grand Slam champion’s fortitude came to the fore.
Tennis writer Carole Bouchard sensed that Nadal would claw his way back into this one midway through this entertaining tussle:
Indeed, after taking the second, Sock’s will was broken and the third seed eventually raced to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win. Fognini will be a dangerous opponent for Rafa in the semis, with the Italian showing his quality to eliminate the classy Pablo Cuevas 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 in a remarkable match.
“Obviously I finished the match playing better than what I started,” said Nadal afterwards, per the ATP World Tour website. “This year I lost a lot of matches when I had an advantage. So to have the chance to win a match when I start losing...is important for me.”
In the women’s draw, the thrilling matches kept on coming, as Radwanska halted Angelique Kerber in the quarters. The 10th-seeded German has been in exceptional form this week, but she wasn’t able to showcase the sort of level that saw her dismantle Caroline Wozniacki in the previous round. The fourth seed capitalised, taking a 6-1 6-4 win.
As noted by tennis writer Tumaini Carayol, another win will push Radwanska back towards the summit of the world rankings:
She’ll go up against Muguruza next, who won a thrilling semi-final match between the two at Wimbledon earlier in the year. The youngster is in exceptional form too, beating Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1, 7-5 in Beijing to make it into the final four.
Elsewhere, Bacsinszky will have masses of momentum after overcoming Sara Errani. She eventually triumphed 0-6, 6-3, 7-5, and as Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times revealed, it was far from straightforward:
Ivanovic lies in wait for her in the semi-finals in what’s going to be a thoroughly entertaining clash. The elimination of top seeds early in the tournament seems to have galvanised the rest of the field, and we’ve been treated to some remarkable action as a result.
In the men’s draw, there’s been little to suggest Djokovic won’t romp to a sixth win at this competition. Nadal remains the most likely to halt him, but the popular left-hander still seems a little shy of his very best. As such, Fognini will fancy his chances of springing a shock and making it into Sunday’s showpiece final.
Full results and updated schedule for the men's draw are available via the ATP website.
Full results and updated schedule for the women's draw are available via the WTA website.
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