Third shortcut puts Djokovic in semis
NEW YORK — That Novak Djokovic would reach his 10th consecutive U.S. Open semifinal should surprise no one. That he’s done it by playing only two complete matches because three opponents pulled out of the tournament with injuries is as odd as can be.
Djokovic, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, again needed to put in very little work, advancing when No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stopped because of a hurt left knee after the first point of their quarterfinal’s third set Tuesday night.
The first two sets of their quarterfinal went Djokovic’s way 6-3, 6-2. At the ensuing changeover, Tsonga was visited by a trainer and had his left leg taped below the knee. They played one point to begin the third set. Tsonga double-faulted, then retired from the match.
This came after Djokovic’s second-round opponent, Jiri Vesely, withdrew from the tournament with a sore left forearm.
And then the man Djokovic was supposed to play in the third round, Mikhail Youzhny, quit after six games and only 31 minutes with a strained left hamstring.
“I put myself in a position again to be one match away from the finals. As tournament progresses, I feel like I’m getting better,” Djokovic said. “Of course, this Grand Slam is very unique for me. I never experienced something like this — to have three retirements on the road to the semifinals.”
Tsonga said when the pain came Tuesday, “I knew it was over for me straightaway.
“It’s already tough to play against one of the best tennis players,” Tsonga said, “but when I don’t have my knee, I have no chance to come back from two sets to love.”
On Friday, Djokovic will play No. 10 Gael Monfils, who advanced earlier against No. 24 Lucas Pouille, the man who eliminated Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.
Playing steadily, and with only a dose of the spectacular, Monfils reached his first major semifinal since 2008 by beating an error-prone Pouille 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in an all-French quarterfinal.
Monfils, who turned 30 last week, only once before made it to a Grand Slam semifinal, 8½ years ago in front of a partisan crowd at the French Open. But he has been fantastic during this tournament, winning all 15 sets he’s played.
“I love watching Gael. He’s one of the few players that I will definitely pay a ticket to watch,” Djokovic said. “He’s very charismatic. Plays with a smile. Enjoys tennis. Enjoys life.”
All in all, the spectators with tickets for Tuesday did not get much competitive or quality tennis. All four matches were decided in straight sets — or in the case Djokovic vs. Tsonga, even fewer.
In the first women’s quarterfinal, Roberta Vinci fell apart after losing the opening set on a foot fault, allowing No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber to take the last nine games and win 7-5, 6-0.
In the other, two-time runner-up Caroline Wozniacki was a 6-0, 6-2 winner against Anastasija Sevastova, who injured her right ankle in the second game and was never able to get going.