Djokovic eyes Cincinnati title defense; gets rematch with Medvedev

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic sealed his 10th consecutive victory on Friday, easing past Lucas Pouille, 7-6 (2), 6-1, to reach the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The defending champion will look to return to the final Saturday evening when he squares off against the in-form Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic improved to 2-0 against Pouille this season, although he found himself in a much tighter matchup to start. In January’s Australian Open semifinals, Djokovic relinquished just four games during his emphatic win over the Frenchman. On Friday, Pouille managed to change the beginning of the narrative by holding serve each time he stepped to the line.

The top seed, however, took charge in the opening set tiebreaker, and soon put down his foot to speed ahead for an 86-minute victory. Despite the win, injury concerns were raised, when two games from the finish line, the 32-year-old had his right elbow examined during a changeover.

"I'm going to see right now after the match, so hopefully will be fine for tomorrow," Djokovic said in a post-match interview.

AP Images.

The Serbian will be looking for revenge against Medvedev, who is riding a wave of confidence during the summer hard-court swing. Although Djokovic defeated Medvedev en route to his seventh Australian Open title, the Russian crafted an impressive quarterfinal performance in Monte Carlo for his first victory in four meetings with the No. 1.

Medvedev will contest his third semifinal in three weeks, having finished runner-up in Washington D.C. and Montreal. He dismissed compatriot Andrey Rublev, 6-2, 6-3, to end the qualifier's run.