Serbia’s world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic will play Kei Nishikori of Japan in the semi-final of the Madrid Open tournament on Saturday after both came through their quarter-final encounters on Friday.
Top-ranked Djokovic beat Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-4 to reach his fifth semi-final of the year, and sixth-ranked Kei Nishikori edged Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (6), 7-6 (1), 6-3 in a thriller that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Coming off a final loss to Nadal in Barcelona, Nishikori overcame 18 aces by Kyrgios, getting his lone break to go up 3-1 in the decisive set.
Djokovic got past the 10th-ranked Raonic to win his 31st match of the year in a rematch of the final in Indian Wells, where Djokovic also won. The Serb has won 13 straight matches against top-10 players, winning 29 of 30 sets during that run.
“It was a long match,” Djokovic said. “It could have gone a different direction if I had lost the serve on that last game. But you know, that’s what happens when you play somebody like Milos, one of the best servers in the game. It’s very difficult to play against him, you are constantly under pressure.”
Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, celebrating her 27th birthday, reached the women’s final by beating American qualifier Louisa Chirico 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour. She will play Simona Halep, who defeated Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-0 in the other semifinal. Halep, the 2014 finalist in Madrid, was the only seeded player to make it to the semis.
Djokovic To Face Nishikori In Madrid Open Semi-Finals
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