‘Just trying to stay alive’ – Djokovic reaches semis

Novak Djokovic conceded he was just “trying to stay alive” as he overcame gruelling conditions to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

In recording a 6-3 7-5 victory over Zizou Bergs, 38-year-old Djokovic also extended his own record of becoming the oldest player to reach the last four of a Masters 1000 tournament – the 80th time he has done so.

The Serb, who had injury issues in the previous round, vomited during his win over Yannick Hanfmann in the third round after struggling with the severe heat.

Temperatures have reached 35C, with humidity at 80% in the daytime on China’s east coast.

Asked what it took to reach the semi-final, Djokovic said: “Pretty much everything.

Djokovic, who is aiming to win a fifth Shanghai title, quickly found his rhythm against the Belgian.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner appeared to be easing into the semi-finals after a comprehensive first set but Bergs broke Djokovic when he was serving for the match.

However, Bergs paid the price for constantly searching for winners, hitting 23 unforced errors compared to Djokovic’s eight.

“I should have closed out the match at 5-4 but I was too passive,” said Djokovic.

“He has a lot of firepower in his game. At times I just tried to play an extra ball on the court to make him miss.”

Djokovic will face Valentin Vacherot in the semi-finals.

Qualifier Vacherot, 26, defeated his highest-ranked opponent yet in 10th seed Holger Rune, winning 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 as the Dane was struck by cramp in the later stages of the game.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka set-up a Wuhan Open quarter-final against Elena Rybakina with a 6-3 6-2 victory over 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova.

Sabalenka, the three-time defending champion in Wuhan after winning in 2018, 2019 and 2024 after the tournament’s three-year hiatus, conceded just 10 points on her serve as she racked up a 19th straight win in the competition.

Rybakina, ranked ninth in the world, beat Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4 to book her place in the last-eight.

World number two Iga Swiatek faced stiffer competition, battling past Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory.

The six-time Grand Slam champion will face Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals after the Italian’s last-16 opponent, Clara Tauson, was forced to withdraw mid-match.

The Dane took the first set 6-3 before losing the second set 6-1 as she struggled with an ankle injury.