PARIS, Nov 2: Former world number one Roger Federer looked like his old self when he beat Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at the Paris Masters on Friday to set up a semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic swept into the semi-finals, winning his 15th straight match with a rapid-fire 6-1, 6-4 win over Stanislas Wawrinka.
It will be the 30th meeting between the two, but the first since Djokovic defeated the Swiss great in the ATP World Tour finals in London a year ago. World number seven Federer has a 16-13 record against the Serb.
“Roger is probably experiencing the worst season he’s had in the last 10 years but he’s still a player to beat in every tournament because he’s Roger Federer, because he’s won 17 Grand Slams,” Djokovic told a news conference.
Federer’s victory was his first against a top-10 player since January. The last time Federer defeated a top-10 player was when he outlasted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
“I knew it was a long time that I had been able to do that,” Federer said. “Every time I played a top 10 I lost, but it was tight.
“So I’m happy now I won against a top 10 again, especially just before London where I will have to play against three top 10 players in a row.”
The eight quarter-finalists at the Paris Masters are the same eight who have qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next week.
World number one and top seed Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, stayed on course for a record sixth Masters Series title in the same year as he swatted aside the uncertain challenge of French number one Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-1.
His semi-final opponent will be titleholder and fellow Spaniard David Ferrer who came from a set down to oust 2005 champion Tomas Berdych 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Nadal has a 32-2 record on hard courts this season, having been sidelined much of last year with a knee injury.
“Probably the injury that I had [forced] me to play more aggressive than before, and that helped me a lot to play better on hard,” Nadal said.
Results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Quarter-finals: 3-David Ferrer (Spain) bt 6-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; 1-Rafa Nadal (Spain) bt 9-Richard Gasquet (France) 6-4, 6-1; 5-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt 4-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; 2-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt 7-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-1, 6-4.—Agencies
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