Daniel Nestor, left, and Vasek Pospisil of Canada play a shot in a doubles semifinal match against Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil during Day 6 of the Rogers Cup at the Aviva Centre on July 30, 2016, in Toronto.
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Djokovic broke his opponent in the third game of the deciding set – converting on his second such opportunity in the match at that juncture to go up 2-1 in the second.
The second set was pathetic from the Swiss and it’s Nishikori who goes through to the final, where no doubt he’ll be the next to lose to Novak Djokovic in a Masters 1000 championship match. This served him well this week.
As Djokovic himself put it: “I couldn’t ask for a better start of the hard court season”.
We’re not going to get rich at [1.18] though but the [1.56] about 2-0 to the Serb is viable, as that seems the most likely outcome.
Djokovic’s dominance over Monfils continued in the second set, with him establishing a sizable lead again based on his mastery of returns. “If gave him chance, you know, he’s a top player so he’s gonna come back strong”.
“I knew I would have to step it up a little bit in the second set the first couple of games”, Nishikori told ESPN in a courtside interview after beating Wawrinka for only the second time in five meetings.
“He played really deep, and he didn’t give me any, like, free points”, Nishikori said.
“But I made progress and gained in confidence at the right time”.
Japan’s Nishikori, forced to pull out of Wimbledon earlier this month due to an ongoing rib injury, also impressed as he battled through the opening set before taking the second in style against Wawrinka, victor of the 2015 French Open.
“I don’t need to explain that every athlete dreams of being part of the Olympic Games”, Djokovic said, reports the Evening Standard. “I’m going to the Olympics next week and I hope to carry this momentum with me”.
Nishikori and Djokovic will face off Sunday afternoon to compete for the title, $6,85,000 winner’s purse and 1000 ATP points.
Meanwhile, Simona Halep beat a mistake-prone Madison Keys 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 on Sunday to win the WTA Montreal hardcourt tournament and claim her 14th career singles crown. “It allowed me to be more aggressive”.
Earlier, Nishikori defeated Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (6), 6-1 to advance to the final.
That marked a brief shift in momentum, as Nishikori scored five straight points to take a 4-3 lead.
“I really don’t think about negative stuff and stuff that might cause a fear or concern like viruses or security issues”, Djokovic said. “Well, also he was playing good, but I couldn’t play good tennis today”.
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Earlier, Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo beat Romanians Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-4, 6-3. “That’s it”, said Wawrinka with a smile. The final rally of the opening set was a lengthy and thrilling one, full of expertly placed shots and athletic chase-downs befitting of a final. “I’m trying to respect the same kind of preparation and routine that I have with my team and that I have respected for so many years”.
