Djokovic, Nadal join Canadians in Montreal last 4
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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal swept into the semifinals of the Rogers Cup with rapid victories on Friday, though their clash will for once take second billing to an all-Canadian affair in the other half of the draw.
Djokovic beat seventh-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 6-1, 6-2; and the fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic 6-2, 6-4. World No. 1 Djokovic extended his Rogers Cup winning streak to 13 matches.
Nadal leads his Serbian rival 20-15 in their career series with the pair having played twice in 2013. Nadal beat Djokovic in a five-set thriller in the semifinals of the French Open, just weeks after the world No. 1 had taken the Spaniard’s Monte Carlo crown in the final.
A Djokovic-Nadal semifinal would normally be the feature act, but for success-starved home fans, it will be the clash of Canadian compatriots Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil that will take most attention.
The tournament in Montreal — once called the Canadian Open — was guaranteed to have its first home finalist since Robert Bedard in 1958.
“It means a lot, not just to us, but to Canadian tennis,” Raonic said. “It’s an opportunity, a great, great moment.”
Pospisil became the first Canadian since Mike Belkin in 1969 to reach the final four of the event when Nikolay Davydenko retired due to illness. Pospisil led 3-0 in the first set when the Russian stopped playing.
Raonic, the 11th seed, rode the spirited support of the crowd for a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-4 victory over Ernests Gulbis, the Latvian who knocked out second-seeded Andy Murray on Thursday.
“I was expecting it to be very difficult,” Raonic said. “He had a great win yesterday. He’s especially dangerous when he gets matches under him.”
It will be the first meeting between Raonic and Pospisil in an ATP Tour tournament. Pospisil holds a 3-1 edge in their four meetings, but Raonic took the most recent match in 2010.
“Exciting match,” said Pospisil. “Two Canadians in the semifinal, one guaranteed to be in the final. It’s a historic moment for tennis in Canada.”
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