So when Djokovic, the world No. 1, granted his Czech competitor that opportunity on Friday night at the Rogers Cup in Toronto – a Masters 1000-level tournament played on the hard surface – Berdych wasn’t sure what to do with the situation and instead responded with an emphatic “no thanks”.
Advertisement
Kerber won six games in a row, including a service break to start the third set before Halep took over again with a break to tie it 2-2 and go on a run of six consecutive game wins to end the match.
The world number one won 6-3 6-2 at Toronto’s Aviva Centre to set up a final against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
He is now eagerly anticipating the final challenge in Toronto and the 26-year-old hopes he can get the better of Djokovic for just the third time in his career.
Monfils displayed his renowned athleticism in a high-quality quarter-final, relying on his lightning-fast court coverage to manufacture a 6-4 6-4 victory over the losing Wimbledon finalist.
Bester and Shamasdin will next play South Africa’s Raven Klaasen and American Rajeev Ram. Then also the beginning of the third set I was playing much better because I was moving better.
Next up for Wawrinka is Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 3-6 6-2.
Beating Wawrinka was a big step in the right direction, and if he can maintain that momentum Sunday and parlay it into a Masters 1000 title, he will be in ideal form ahead of the Grand Slam that has yielded his best results over the years.
Despite the lopsided support, it was Monfils who actually struck first in the match.
“I’ve been working on my serve a lot the last couple of years, and I think especially on the second serve it has gave me an advantage, more depth on the second serve and so forth”, Djokovic said. The doubles team of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil – the sixth-seeded team in the tournament, lost in three sets to the second-seeded team of Bruno Soares of Brazil and Jamie Murray from Great Britain, the elder brother of world No. 2 Andy Murray. She was playing more consistent than me the whole match.
These two have played 12 times in the past and Djokovic has won 11 of those meetings.
“I feel positive now after this win – let’s see what happens”.
The Frenchman, who is finally coming into his own as he approaches 30, I guess was just too gassed from winning Washington and his current 9-match win streak to take advantage. Stepanek last defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal of the 2006 Rotterdam Open.
In the late match, the 10th-seeded Monfils surprised Raonic, the 2016 Wimbledon finalist and No. 4 seed, using his athleticism and strong serving to overcome the Canadian’s array of weapons. “And then suddenly, I think, he didn’t miss….”
Nishikori, serving at 40-0, sealed victory on the first of his three match points when an overhead smash prompted an unforced error from his opponent, ending an encounter that lasted just under an hour-and-a-half.
“I played a point at a time”.
Advertisement
HALEP TO FINAL: Simona Halep beat Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, 6-0, 3-6, 6-2, to advance to the Rogers Cup final in Montreal for the second straight year.
