Novak Djokovic Creates History At Shanghai Open, Becomes First Player To…

Novak Djokovic is 38 years old and still rewriting tennis records, and he has no intention of slowing down. On Thursday, the Serbian legend advanced to his 80th ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, further solidifying a record that already dominated the field. With the achievement, Djokovic has gotten farther away from the only other players in history to have more than 50 appearances in the semi-finals at this top level: Roger Federer (66) and Rafael Nadal (76).As if one record were not enough, the world No. 1 also surpassed the previous record he established earlier this year in Miami, becoming the oldest player in history to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final at 38 years and 133 days.In a tough quarterfinal, the four-time Shanghai Masters champion had to fight hard to defeat Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs 6-3, 7-5. The match was anything but ordinary, even if the score was straight-sets.In a thrilling opening set, Bergs, who is not in the top 100, actually hit more winners than Djokovic and saved five set points before the top seed ended it with an unreturnable serve.The second set was even more taxing. Bergs had five chances to complete the point at the net during one of Djokovic’s incredible rallies, but the Serb clawed his way back and sent the Shanghai fans into raptures.Only the second tournament (after Rome) where Djokovic has reached double digits at the semi-final stage, he ultimately completed the victory on his third match point, securing his tenth career appearance in the Shanghai semifinals.One of the year’s most unexpected opponents, world No. 204 Valentin Vacherot, a Monegasque qualifier who has shocked the draw with a string of shocks, stands between Djokovic and yet another Masters final.By defeating 10th seed Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, Vacherot pulled off his biggest upset to date and became the second-lowest-ranked player in history to advance to the ATP Masters semifinals.After missing half of the previous year due to injuries, his unlikely trip will put him into the top 100 next week.A career high point, according to the 25-year-old qualifier, would be taking on Djokovic: “It would mean a lot to play at least one of the guys of the ‘Big Three’ in my career,” he said.