Novak Djokovic battles past Mensik to reach Shanghai Masters Semis

Novak Djokovic is one step closer to another Shanghai Masters title after a hard-fought 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 victory over Czech youngster Jakub Mensik. The win on Friday secured Djokovic a spot in the semi-finals, where he will face American Taylor Fritz.

Djokovic, a four-time champion in Shanghai, had to dig deep after dropping the first set in a tiebreak. Mensik, just 19 years old and playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, gave the Serbian legend a real challenge in the opening set. Djokovic struggled early to read Mensik’s powerful serve, but he gradually found his rhythm.

Djokovic, who has known Mensik for several years, has trained with him at his tennis center in Belgrade. “He’s one of the best servers in the game, and he’s only 19. The future is very bright for him,” Djokovic added.

After losing the first set, Djokovic responded with a dominant performance in the second, capitalizing on Mensik’s unforced errors. The 24-time Grand Slam champion cruised to a 3-0 lead and never looked back.

In the deciding set, Djokovic broke Mensik’s serve at 3-2 and held on to close out the match, despite a minor knee issue late in the game.

The Serbian is now chasing a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai and his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy since winning in Paris last year.