Djokovic destroys Monfils, Nishikori outclasses Wawrinka at Toronto Masters

ByEurosport

Updated 31/07/2016 at 08:12 GMT

Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record against Frenchman Gael Monfils with a 6-3 6-2 win in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Saturday, while Japan's Kei Nishikori also reached the final after beating Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka.

World number one Djokovic, now 12-0 against Monfils, has the opportunity to become the tournament's first four-time winner when he meets Nishikori in Sunday's final

Nishikori came from 2-5 down in the opening set to stun Wawrinka 7-6(6) 6-1 in the first semi-final at the Aviva Centre.

Monfils came into the semi-finals having won nine straight matches, including the Citi Open title in Washington, D.C. last Sunday.

Toronto Masters

Wawrinka overcomes Anderson to sail through to Toronto semi-finals

29/07/2016 at 20:17

Djokovic overcame a service break in the third game and was dialled in the rest of the way in the 74-minute match. The Serb evaluated his play as his best of the week.

"It came at the right time," Djokovic said in a courtside interview. "You never know what is going to come the other way from a guy who has been in top form in the last couple of weeks.

"He won in Washington last week and came in here and won comfortably in most of his matches. I had to stay committed from the beginning and I'm very, very pleased with the way I played."

Djokovic is 9-2 against Nishikori and has won their last eight meetings, including the hard-court final in Miami earlier this year.

"Playing against Kei is never easy," Djokovic said. "He's been around. He's an established top-five, top-10 player. He's one of the quickest on tour and I'm going to have some fun."

Nishikori kept second seed Wawrinka from his fourth ATP World Tour Masters final as he beat him 7-6 6-1.

Third seed Nishikori fell behind as Wawrinka broke, holding on to his serve to go 4-1 up in the first set.

But Nishikori fought back to take the Swiss to a tie-break which Nishikori eventually won 8-6.

Having found a foothold in the game, Nishikori took the early lead, breaking Wawrinka's opening serve and holding his own to go 3-0 up.

Going on to convert another break point, Nishikori was 5-0 up before Wawrinka took his first game of the second set.

That meant Nishikori had to finish business the hard way - though not nearly hard enough, as he closed the set down 6-1 to reach the final.

Kei Nishikori progresses to the Rogers Cup final

Image credit: Reuters

Nishikori is seeking his first ATP Masters 1000 title after reaching the third final of his career in the elite events.

"I knew I would have to step it up a little bit in the second set the first couple of games," Nishikori said after beating Wawrinka for just the second time in five meetings.

"And after that, I tried to be more aggressive and really concentrate because he was a little bit down and I knew if I had to let him, he's going to come back."

Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who has won 14 ATP World Tour titles, became increasingly dispirited as he lost 11 of the last 13 games after squandering four set points in that opening set.

Additional reporting via Reuters

Toronto Masters

Wawrinka battles past Youzhny in Toronto

27/07/2016 at 08:12

Toronto Masters

Kyrgios hits another low with defeat to 17-year-old world number 370

26/07/2016 at 08:45

Toronto Masters

Murray to skip Toronto title defence ahead of Olympics

19/07/2016 at 09:03