World no.1 Novak Djokovic recorded his 650th match win on Wednesday after defeating Croatia’s ninth seed Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes to reach the Wimbledon semi-final for the sixth straight year.
Novak’s quarter-final win also earned him his 50th career victory at the All England Club and fourth place in the list of most Major semi-final appearances in the Open Era (27), behind Roger Federer (38), Jimmy Connors (31) and Ivan Lendl (28).
The defending champion did not face a single break point in the match, and broke once in each of the three sets to extend his H2H advantage over Cilic to 13-0.
“I didn’t know how my body was going to feel but I was hoping I would play well, which I have done,“ Novak said. “I try not to take it for granted. The top players are expected to reach the final stages but you have to earn it.“
Match statistics: aces (4-8), double faults (1-0), winners (27-30), unforced errors (12-20), total points won (93-71).
Novak will face no.21 seed Richard Gasquet for a place in his fourth Championships final (11-1 H2H). The Frenchman upset fourth seed Stan Wawrinka in five sets.
Looking ahead to the challenge, Djokovic said: “Gasquet has been there. He loves playing on grass and is one of the most talented players we have on grass.”
Seven-time former titlist Roger Federer (SUI, 2) and 2013 winner Andy Murray (GBR, 3) complete the semi-final line-up.
Photo: Getty Images
