Novak Djokovic set up a mouthwatering BNP Paribas semi-final showdown with nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who the world No.1 Serb considers his biggest rival on the ATP Tour.
Both Nadal and Djokovic eased through their Indian Wells quarter-final contests in straight sets on Friday and are now set to square off in a match worthy of a title clash.
“It is going to be a game of cat and mouse,” Djokovic said. “I enjoy the rivalry against Rafa. It is probably the most exciting rivalry I have had in my career.”
Photo: AFP
World No. 5 Nadal survived an early assault to defeat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-3 in the joint ATP and WTA Tour hardcourt tournament in the California desert.
The Nadal-Nishikori match kicked off a star-studded pair of Indian Wells quarter-finals on Friday featuring four of the world’s top 10 players.
Djokovic defeated ninth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2).
“I beat a top 10 player and that is important for my confidence,” said Nadal, who is hoping to put to bed speculation that his career is on a downward spiral.
He has won 14 Grand Slam titles, but none in the past 18 months.
“Tomorrow is another opportunity for me to play against another top player,” he said.
The Spaniard is looking for another stamp in his championship passport, having already won Indian Wells in 2007, 2009 and 2013, while Djokovic is going for a record fifth crown.
“I feel I am strong mentally and I have the right energy,” Nadal said. “I am able to fight for every ball and I now believe in myself the whole match.”
Nadal had just two aces, but he took care of his serve Friday by winning 62 percent of his first-serve points. He broke Nishikori four times.
He closed out the 93-minute match with a forehand down the line that Nishikori stumbled after, but came nowhere near to getting a racquet on.
Nadal improved to 8-1 against Nishikori and avenged a loss in their most recent meeting in Montreal last year.
Nadal and Djokovic are nearly even in their 47 head-to-head meetings, with the Serb owning a 24-23 edge.
Two-time defending champion Djokovic has already won twice this year including the Australian Open.
He is hoping to use Indian Wells as a stepping stone to winning his first French Open in two months and complete the career Grand Slam.
Djokovic blasted two aces, 18 winners and had four double faults in the two hour, six minute match on Friday.
Tsonga had seven double faults and had his serve broken twice as his magic run this week came to a grinding halt under the 34oC heat in the main stadium.
No Frenchman has reached the semis here since Guy Forget played Jim Courier in the final four in 1991.
In the women’s singles, Serena Williams on Friday overcame a sluggish start to forge past Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 7-6(1) and move into the final.
The world No. 1, who is to play Victoria Azarenka for the title, was 4-2 down in the opening set and not moving freely in the semi-final.
However, after the American found her rhythm she claimed four straight games to take control of the set, then continued her run in the second to win the opening three games before her Polish opponent fought back.
Radwanska displayed the kind of tennis that is likely to see her rise to No. 2 in the world rankings tomorrow, rallying to win the next three games to get the set back on serve.
The Pole even had a chance to win just her second career set against Williams when she broke the American to lead 6-5, but could not close out on serve.
Williams then snuffed out any hopes Radwanska had of claiming a first victory over the American, winning seven straight points to take the tiebreaker 7-1 and improve to 10-0 in their head-to-head battles.
“I think it was really good for me to have a match like that and I think that’s the reason ‘Aga’ is doing so well, because she never gave up,” Williams said. “I was up so much in the second and she just came back and was determined more than ever, so it was really good to play well against her tonight. I could have played three sets, but I figured I should at least do 1,000 percent right now. That’s what I tried to do.”
Williams improved to 23-1 at Indian Wells, where she won in 1999 and 2001, before taking a self-imposed 14-year exile from the event amidst allegations of racial abuse from fans after her sister Venus withdrew minutes before their semi-final showdown.
Fifteen years later, she is feeling the love.
“I had a lot of support, I heard a lot of ‘Go Serenas’ and that was kind of cool,” Williams said. “This year has been great. It feels so great to be supported. It’s been a great comeback here in Indian Wells, so I’m excited about that.”
Williams is to play 13th seed and 2012 champion Victoria Azarenka in the final after she beat Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova 7-6(1) 1-6 6-2 in the other semi-final.
Despite service troubles, including five double faults in the opening set, and a poor second set, Azarenka found her way past the 18th seed to give herself a chance at a second title of the year and a return to the world’s top 10.
“It definitely was a tough battle,” Azarenka said.
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