World number one Novak Djokovic was in imperious form as he reached the semi-finals of the Australian open with a 7-6 6-4 6-2 win over Milos Raonic.
The Serb went into the quarter-final contest against Canadian Raonic off the back of hugely comfortable wins in the previous rounds, but was expected to face a sterner test against the 8th seed.
However, Djokovic barely broke a sweat as he neutralised the big-hitting Canadian’s ground strokes with pace, precision and variation on the return.
Raonic kept pace with Djokovic for much of the first set, but after losing the opener on a tie-break, he was unable to compete with Djokovic, who went from strength to strength.
Keeping errors to a minimum and holding serve with ease, Djokovic set up a semi-final against Stanislas Wawrinka.
In one of the most entertaining rallies of their quarter-final, Milos Raonic overcame an early slip but still lost the point to Novak Djokovic.
“Definitely expecting a marathon like the last couple of years. I’m sure that both of us will give our best to perform our best tennis,” Djokovic said of his semi-final tie against Wawrinka.
“We always ask for the best of each other.”
It will be the third successive year Djokovic and Wawrinka have met at the Australian Open, with the man winning those epic clashes ultimately going on to clinch the title.
As defending champion in 2013, Djokovic prevailed 12-10 in the fifth set in their fourth round clash.
We spoke to Novak Djokovic following his Australian Open quarter-final win over Milos Raonic.
Last year, Wawrinka won the fifth set 9-7 in their quarter-final, indicating fans on Friday should be set for another epic encounter.
“You know when you play Novak, especially in semi-final in a grand slam, you have to play your best game,” Wawrinka said.
“You have to play your best tennis if you want to push him. So far I’m playing great. I’m confident with my game.”
