World number two Novak Djokovic is now just a match win away from successfully defending his Shanghai Masters title after he defeated seventh-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in their semifinal match 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday. The Serbian served six aces in a match that lasted an hour and 34 minutes.
“It’s important for me to get into another final,” the Serbian said after the match. “[My serving] was very controlled, very efficient… I was trying to open up the court and move him around. I know he likes to have targets, he likes to play from the backhand corners so I tried not to [let] him into that comfort zone.”
As for Tsonga, it’s back on the drawing board as the Frenchman attempts to work better for future matches.
“Today I played well in the second set [but] I know I can play a lot better so I will continue to work.”
Djokovic will face Juan Martin Del Potro in the men’s final on Sunday after the latter defeated world number one Rafael Nadal in straight sets. Del Potro is seeking his first ATP Masters 1000 title. By winning his semifinal match, Del Potro has officially secured a place in next month’s ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Novak Djokovic is aiming for his 15th ATP Masters 1000 title and he remains unbeated in Chinese soil for the past two years at 19-0. He successfully defended the China Open last weekend after defeating Nadal and he has a chance to make it a perfect China-Shanghai duo for the second year running if he defeats Del Potro.
The winner will receive $729,725 and 1,000 ranking points and the finalist gets $357,800 and 600 ranking points.
