Top-ranked Novak Djokovic advanced to the Western & Southern Open semifinals by dispatching fifth-seeded Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1 in their quarterfinal match on Friday.
Djokovic, who lost to Wawrinka in the French Open final, will play either sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych or qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov in the semifinal on Saturday.
Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, has never won a W&S championship. He is hoping to become the first man to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 championships in his career.
Wawrinka committed 27 unforced errors to eight for Djokovic, who needed just 63 minutes to improve to 18-4 in his career against Wawrinka.
Djokovic has never won Cincinnati. He’s trying to become the first player to win all nine ATP Masters events in a career.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic smacked his racket on the court after losing serve, seemingly headed for another unexplainable loss at a tournament that has eluded him. In the end, he stopped fuming and started playing like the best.
The top-ranked Serb rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final set to a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over David Goffin on Thursday, reaching the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open.
Third-seeded Andy Murray also needed a late surge. He recovered from a 5-2 deficit in the third set, survived a match point, and pulled out a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over Grigor Dimitrov.