Shanghai: Novak Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters after the 14-time Grand Slam champion beat Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 here Friday.
Djokovic saved set point in the opener before taking control of the tie break and the second set to dump out the South African seventh seed in efficient fashion. The 31-year-old from Serbia is in sparkling form, winning Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Masters and US Open in recent months, after having elbow surgery in February.
The second seed is homing in on injured Rafael Nadal’s year-end No.1 ranking. Djokovic will meet Zverev Saturday after the rising star defeated Kyle Edmund to reach his first Shanghai Masters semifinal. The fourth seed’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over the 11th-seeded Briton also seals his place in the season-ending ATP Finals in London next month, which bring together the top eight men.
The top four players in the world — Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro had already qualified for London. Zverev is ranked fifth.