Paris: Novak Djokovic won his 15th straight match and Roger Federer beat a top-10 player for the first time since January, setting up a semifinal match between the two at the Paris Masters.
Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1, 6-4 on Friday, and Federer overcame Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal also moved into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Richard Gasquet. Nadal will face defending champion David Ferrer, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 winner over Tomas Berdych.
The last time Federer beat a top-10 player was when he outlasted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
"That's definitely good for my confidence, because those are the kind of wins I need right now," Federer said. "I'm happy now I won against a top-10 again, especially just before London where I will have to play against three top-10 players in a row."
Federer avenged a loss last weekend to del Potro in the Swiss Indoors final. The 17-time Grand Slam champion played nearly flawless tennis in the first set, making 17 winners and only four unforced errors. Del Potro fought back in the second set, saving a break point in the opening game before converting his second break chance at 5-4 to level the match when the fifth-seeded Federer netted a forehand.
In the deciding set, del Potro sent a forehand into the net to drop serve at 3-3 and Federer won the match when the Argentine hit a forehand long. Djokovic, who saved all six break points he faced, won 13 of 19 points at the net.
"Coming to the net is one of the improvements that I had recently," the second-seeded Serb said. "It didn't click so fast, trust me. I had to work and put in many, many hours on the practice court that you guys don't see." Wawrinka lost five-setters against Djokovic at the Australian Open and the U.S. Open this year.
"When he plays that good it's very difficult, especially on this surface where he's the best, I believe," Wawrinka said.
Nadal improved his record against Gasquet to 12-0 despite a crowd cheering loudly for the only Frenchman left in the draw. The Spaniard, who is seeking a record sixth Masters title in a single season, broke for a 4-3 lead with a crosscourt backhand return winner.
Gasquet struggled with his one-handed backhand against Nadal's powerful groundstrokes and the U.S. Open champion went a set up when the Frenchman made a backhand error. Nadal took a 4-0 lead in the second set and finished off Gasquet by whipping a forehand winner down the line.
"Winning a match against him before the end of my career is going to be extremely difficult," Gasquet said. "I would like to, but he's getting better and better." Nadal is 32-2 on hard courts this season after he was sidelined much of last year with a knee injury.
"Probably the injury that I had (forced) me to play more aggressive than before, and that helped me a lot to play better on hard," Nadal said. Nadal unseated Djokovic atop the rankings by reaching the final of the China Open last month. The eight quarter-finalists are in the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals next week in London.
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