AGENCIES
NEW YORK
Top seed Novak Djokovic was tested by net-charging Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in a duel of volleys and passing shots before booking a berth in the US Open semi-finals in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
On a hot, humid night at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic waged an entertaining battle with the 33-year-old serve-and-volleyer, before finishing off the 18th seed 7-2 in the fourth set tiebreaker to complete a 6-1 3-6 6-3 7-6(2) victory.
Lopez won 28-of-41 serve-and-volley points, while Djokovic countered with 33 forays to the net that produced 19 points for the world number one.
"He's one of the rare players who actually serves and volleys after the first and second serves," said Djokovic, winner of this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon championships. "He's got a very big serve."
Lopez served up 14 aces, while Dojokovic registered nine.
"It was anybody's game in the fourth set," the Serb said. "I'm just glad to get through in four."
Djokovic had beaten Lopez in their five previous meetings but the lefty was confident, coming off a Cincinnati hardcourt event where he reached the quarters with wins over Milos Raonic and Rafa Nadal before losing to world number two Roger Federer.
"My game plan was to be aggressive," Lopez said. "He was having some trouble reading my serve.
"The match from my side was great. I have to be satisfied with the match I played with the number one player in the world. I couldn't do any better today. He just was better in the tiebreaker in the fourth. I think I played a great match."
Djokovic, 61-5 with six tournament titles this season, will face defending champion Marin Cilic of Croatia in the semi-finals. The ninth-seeded Cilic advanced with a five-set win over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Nine-times grand slam winner Djokovic reached his ninth successive U.S. Open semi-finals and the 2011 champion expects another challenging match against Cilic, despite owning a 13-0 record against him.
"He hasn't lost a match (here), 12 matches in a row, so I'm sure he feels confident," Djokovic said. "I know him very well. I have played him many, many times. We are great friends.
"I know what to do and I'm hoping I can execute the game plan."
Cilic goes the distance
Defending champion Marin Cilic squandered three match points in the fourth set but was still proud of how he finished off a tough victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga that carried him through to the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Trailing by two sets to one, Tsonga saved two match points in the 10th game to hold for 5-5 and another two games later to force a tiebreak that he won comfortably to set up the climactic fifth set.
However, the ninth-seeded Croat shook off the disappointment of failing to close out the contest by breaking the Frenchman to love for a 3-2 lead and held serve thereafter before cashing in his fifth match point for a 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-7(3) 6-4 victory.
With the win, Cilic advances to a semi-final against either top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia or 18th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.
"I stayed mentally tough," said Cilic, who won his maiden grand slam title in a surprise Flushing Meadows final against Japan's Kei Nishikori a year ago.
"Jo came up with unbelievable shots but I stuck with my plan. It was a difficult day, very demanding, very hot. Mentally it was very exhausting."
Cilic, 26, hammered home 29 aces in the stifling conditions.
