Paris Masters 2019: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Advance to Semifinals
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal progressed to the semi-finals of the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters on Friday.
Djokovic cruised through in straight sets, dropping just three games in the quarter-finals to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nadal suffered a tougher time in his match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but after a gruelling opener, the Spaniard powered through.
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The remaining quarter-finals saw Grigor Dimitrov defeat Cristian Garin in straight sets, while Denis Shapovalov defeated Gael Monfils in under an hour.
Friday's Results
Grigor Dimitrov bt. Cristian Garin: 6-2, 7-5
(1) Novak Djokovic bt. (7) Stefanos Tsitsipas: 6-1, 6-2
Denis Shapovalov bt. (13) Gael Monfils: 6-2, 6-2
(2) Rafael Nadal bt. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: 7-6 (4), 6-1
Saturday Schedule
(1) Djokovic vs. Dimitrov: 2 p.m. local, 1 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET
Shapovalov vs. (2) Nadal: 4:30 p.m. local, 3:30 p.m. GMT, 11:30 a.m. ET
Friday Recap
Djokovic was in no mood to hang around in his match against Tsitsipas, and the No. 1 seed put his foot down on the accelerator.
The world No. 7 has previously performed well against the Serb, but Djokovic was at his supreme best on court in Paris.
The 32-year-old won five consecutive games in the opening set, with his opponent unable to respond to his best shots.
Tsitsipas won his first game to make it 5-1, but Djokovic was in total control and collected the set.
The second set was a repeat performance, allowing Djokovic a passage to the last four with no fuss.
Tsitsipas held his serve in the opening game but was then twice broken in quick succession, and the 21-year-old could do nothing to stop a rampant Djokovic, who won 79 per cent of his first-serve points.
The world No. 1 said he was delighted to advance:
Nadal was tested to the limit by Tsonga in their opening set, but the Spaniard prevailed to take the lead.
Both players were imperious during their serve, and neither man could gain a break when it appeared they might.
Tied at 6-6, Nadal proved to be the stronger of the two in a tiebreak, and Tsonga lost three service points as he fell 7-4.
Capturing the opening set energised Nadal. The No. 2 seed quickly gained a break to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the second.
Tsonga had nothing left in the tank, and Nadal won the set 6-1 to claim progress to the semi-finals.
Nadal will take on Shapovalov on Saturday, and Djokovic will play Dimitrov.
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