NEW YORK (AFP) – World number one Novak Djokovic cruised into the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Western & Southern Open on Wednesday while Japan’s Naomi Osaka withdrew to protest the shooting of a black man by police in Wisconsin.
Djokovic, who launches his bid for a fourth US Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown on Monday, needed only 62 minutes to rout Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-3, 6-1.
The 33-year-old Serbian, who seeks a fourth US Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown, advanced to a Thursday semi-final against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, who upset defending champion Daniil Medvedev, last year’s US Open runner-up from Russia, by 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Djokovic had no issues with a prior neck injury, testing himself well on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts in the same spectator-less Covid-19 bubble quarantine atmosphere where the US Open will be played.
Fourth seed Osaka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, rallied to defeat Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in a quarter-final.
But she withdrew from her Thursday semi against Belgian 14th seed Elise Mertens, who eliminated American Jessica Pegula, 6-1, 6-3.
The move came in the wake of African-American Jacob Blake being shot in the back on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach,” Osaka posted in a Twitter statement.
“Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.”
“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction.”
Mertens reached a Friday final against the winner between two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who beat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, 7-6 (11/9), 6-2, and Britain’s Johanna Konta, who beat Greece’s 13th-seeded Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 6-3.
The other men’s semifinal will send Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who advanced down 5-6 when American Reilly Opelka retired, against Canada’s Milos Raonic, who defeated Serbian Filip Krajinovic 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5.
Djokovic won this event, typically played in Cincinnati, in 2018 after five prior finals losses and looks like he could claim a second title in three tries while warming up for the US Open and testing the improvements made to his games since the COVID-19 shutdown.
Bautista Agut, ranked 12th, fought back after being blasted in the first set.
”It was a fantastic comeback for me,” he said. ”I had to fight a lot to stay there in the second set. It was a really tough match. I’m glad to get through.”
His reward is an on-form Djokovic, who has won five of the past seven Grand Slam titles as he chases Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — both absent from the New York bubble — for the all-time Slam title record.
