Djokovic battles into Shanghai semis as Vacherot's fairytale run continues

SHANGHAI :Fourth seed Novak Djokovic battled past a spirited Zizou Bergs 6-3 7-5 on Thursday to reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals for a 10th time, setting up a clash with surprise package and world number 204 Valentin Vacherot.

In challenging conditions, Djokovic was made to work harder than the scoreline suggests by his Belgian opponent, who actually registered more winners than the four-times champion but was undone by unforced errors.

"First encounter with Bergs, a great guy. Obviously a lot of firepower in his game. He played a good game," Djokovic said.

"Again, I was a little bit too passive. Just very challenging conditions these days for all the players. Just trying to stay alive on the court and glad to overcome this hurdle."

BERGS SHOWS RESILIENCE

In the opening set, Bergs showed remarkable resilience by saving five set points to frustrate Djokovic, before the Serbian finally closed it out with an unreturned serve.

The second set proved even more gruelling, with both players serving well but treating the crowd to breathtaking rallies that left Djokovic hunched over his racquet on several occasions.

The highlight came during one extraordinary rally where Djokovic gave Bergs five golden opportunities to seal the point with overhead shots and volleys at the net, only to somehow emerge victorious and bring the crowd to its feet.

Djokovic eventually sealed victory on his third match point, advancing to face Vacherot in what promises to be an intriguing semi-final clash.

"Amazing story for him. This tournament has taken out top players of the world... it's really impressive what he's doing," Djokovic said.

VACHEROT SET TO CRACK TOP 100

Vacherot pulled off a huge upset, stunning 10th seed Holger Rune 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 to become