Djokovic finds groove to down Mensik, reach Shanghai semis

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his quarter final match against Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik. - Reuters Novak Djokovic dug out a 6-7(4) 6-1 6-4 win over Czech Jakub Mensik on Friday to advance to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, where he will face Taylor Fritz.The four-time Shanghai champion managed to raise his level after losing the first set on a tiebreak and never looked back as he beat his 19-year-old opponent to enter the semi-finals for a ninth time. "We went toe-to-toe till the last moment. I was fortunate to really find great serves in the last game, a couple of aces," Djokovic said."Jakub is somebody that I've been following the last three, four years,” he added."We trained at my tennis centre in Belgrade and in Montenegro as well. I could see today why he's one of the best servers we have in the game. He's only 19, so I think the future is very bright for him,” he said.The Serb initially struggled to counter Mensik's serve but found his rhythm and broke for a 5-4 lead in the first set.However, the 24-times Grand Slam champion allowed his unseeded opponent to hit back instantly and with a foothold in the contest Mensik clinched the tiebreak as Djokovic hit a forehand into the net.The 37-year-old did well to recover, taking advantage of a string of unforced errors from Mensik to hold serve on either side of an early break as he took a 3-0 lead in the second set.Djokovic won the first point of the decider with a pin-point forehand at the end of an epic 33-shot rally and ran Mensik ragged with his power and precision.He broke for a 3-2 lead, which ultimately proved decisive despite an apparent knee issue for the Serb late in the match.Djokovic is looking to win a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai, as well as his first ATP Masters 1000 title since his victory in Paris last year.He will face world number seven Fritz in the semi-finals after the American defeated Belgian David Goffin 6-3 6-4 earlier on Friday.In the other semi-final, world number one Jannik Sinner will take on Czech Tomas Machac.  Comments Submit مضمون کا ماخذ: اسکریچ کارڈز خریدیں