World no.2 and 2009 champion Novak Djokovic charged into the BNP Paribas Masters semi-finals on Friday with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Stanislas Wawrinka and moved within one win of back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals.
Novak needed 81 minutes to secure his 65th win of the season, serving two aces and defending all six break points he faced during the quarter-final match.
Djokovic was on fire in the opening set. He broke twice, in the second and sixth games.
The second set was more competitive. Wawrinka had his chances, but Novak withstood everything the Swiss threw at him. He made a crucial break in the seventh game and improved to 14-2 lifetime over Stan.
“I am very satisfied with my great intensity from the start of the match,” the no.2 seed said. “I try to be as aggressive as possible when I have a shorter ball.”
Match statistics: aces (2-3), double faults (0-2), winners (21-15), unforced errors (17-24), total points won (66-47).
Novak will play no.5 seed Roger Federer in the last four meeting on Saturday at 14.30 CET.
The 26-year-old Serb has won 13 of 29 encounters against the Swiss, the most recent in the title match at the 2012 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London (7-6, 7-5).
Ahead of the Federer clash, Nole said: “You cannot underestimate Roger. He’s playing really well. I hope that I can continue playing well the way I played today. I think it was better than the first two matches, so I have been gradually elevating my performance and the level of my game.”
Photo: Getty Images
