As for world number one and three-time champion Djokovic, he made it 25 wins in 27 matches against Berdych with an unconvincing 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 win. That’s not a guarantee that you can win the match. “He’s been playing great”. Monfils had his own supporters, with sporadic calls of “Allez-y Monfils!” between serves, but nowhere near the loud cheers Djokovic earned.
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“It came at the right time”, Djokovic said in a courtside interview. “I’m very grateful for the support of Serbian people who live here and of course Canadian crowd and all the global people coming to watch this tournament”. The song is already omnipresent at sporting events, but it especially reflects how Raonic wants to play at the ATP Tour event in his hometown, dominating every set and showing a new-found understanding of the short game.
The 31-year-old from Lausanne, who hit 14 winners and lost only five of his first service points, will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the last eight.
Wawrinka produced an error-strewn performance in Toronto on Saturday and Nishikori took full advantage.
Wawrinka won 82% of his first-serve points while converting on four of a possible 10 break points. He missed a wide-open volley, sending the ball out of bounds when Nishikori had ceded an entire lane of the court to him. At the end of the day, we can all miss easy shots.
But Nishikori, the tournament’s third seed, said the app is less about moving merchandise than it is about giving his most dedicated fans a way to share in victories like Friday’s. “He’s feeling confident on the court”. “I hope more people, you know, join in the app to see more tennis”. I had a lot of opportunities to take the set.
In the quarterfinals, Monfils was up against Milos Raonic, the player who halted his progress at the Australian Open and Indian Wells but the Frenchman gained his revenge for those two losses and defeated the big-serving Canadian 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals in Toronto.
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Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil faced Britain’s Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares in the doubles semifinal.
