GENEVA: Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals at the Geneva Open on his 38th birthday Thursday, beating the opponent who eliminated him at the Madrid Masters last month.
Djokovic rallied strongly in the second set for a 6-4, 6-4 win over 39th-ranked Matteo Arnaldi in their quarterfinals match.
The second-seeded Djokovic had smashed his racket into the ground behind the baseline after his serve was broken to trail 3-1 in the second set, when he sent a backhand long.
“I’m sorry for the racket, it’s not a good example, particularly for the young ones,” Djokovic told the crowd in French in an on-court interview. “Thank for your support. I know that with the cold temperatures, it’s not easy to stay here.”
At 4-1 down, and after seeming to strain his right knee stretching for a shot, Djokovic reeled off five straight games for victory.
He clinched his first match-point chance when Arnaldi hit a wild forehand from behind the baseline.
“It was much closer than maybe the scoring indicates,” Djokovic said.
On a chilly and rainy day that was tough for higher-ranked players, top-seeded Taylor Fritz lost to sixth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-6 (5), and fourth-seeded Karen Khachanov lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to 128th-ranked Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner.
Djokovic’s semifinal opponent Friday will be the winner of the late match between Alexei Popyrin, the fifth-seeded Australian, and another qualifier, Cameron Norrie.