Federer joins Djokovic in semis

SHANGHAI: Roger Federer blazed into the Shanghai Masters semi-finals with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Kei Nishikori as the Swiss great’s title defence belatedly caught fire on Friday.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion and top seed will meet 13th seed Borna Coric on Saturday after the Croatian defeated unseeded Australian Matthew Ebden 7-5, 6-4. The other semi-final tees up Novak Djokovic against young German star Alexander Zverev, just the second time they will have met.The 37-year-old Federer was forced to battle through the first two matches of his title defence, first to Daniil Medvedev and then Roberto Bautista Agut.

He put Nishikori under the cosh immediately, breaking the eighth seed in the first game of both sets, though the Japanese did well to recover and force the second-set tie break.Djokovic said that he was relishing facing “top player” Zverev after the 14-time Grand Slam champion beat Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7/1), 6-3.

Djokovic saved set point in the opener before taking control of the tie break and the second set to dump out the South African seventh seed.The 31-year-old from Serbia is in blistering form, winning Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Masters and US Open in recent months, after having elbow surgery in February.

The second seed is desperate to grab injured Rafael Nadal’s year-end number one ranking. Djokovic and Zverev met on clay in the final of the Rome Masters in May last year, the 21-year-old German winning 6-4, 6-3. Djokovic, who endured a turbulent last season with injury and off-court issues, said they were “both different players” now. Touted as a potential future multiple Grand Slam winner, fourth seed Zverev eased past Kyle Edmund to reach his first Shanghai semi-final.