Novak Djokovic holds off Zizou Bergs to reach Shanghai semifinals

Novak Djokovic held off a late surge from Zizou Bergs to beat the Belgian, 6-3, 7-5 and reach the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters semifinals.

🖥️📲The Match in 15 Minutes: Novak Djokovic def. Zizou Bergs, Shanghai QF

The former world No. 1 is now two wins from his first ATP hard-court title since the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, booking a final-four clash with Monegasque qualifier Valentin Vacherot after an hour and 50 minutes on Stadium Court.

With perhaps a little help from WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the fourth-seeded Djokovic has navigated an upset-heavy tournament and brutally humid conditions to find himself the highest-ranked man left in the men’s draw following exits from top seeds Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.

The 38-year-old edged through back-to-back three-setters against Yannick Hanfmann and Jaume Munar to reach only his second Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season, having largely sat out the Masters for the last several seasons.

Djokovic was inspired to expand his calendar following a US Open semifinal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, betting on his mental strength to better hold up over the Masters’ best-of-three format. So far, that gamble has paid off in Shanghai, where he gained the mental ascendency over an inspired but erratic Bergs.

A 26-year-old from Lommel, Bergs has enjoyed a career-best season, reaching his first two ATP finals and earning a career-high ranking of No. 44 following a third-round finish at the US Open. He reached his first Masters quarterfinal with impressive upsets of No. 19 seed Francisco Cerundolo and No. 31 seed Gabriel Diallo, surviving the latter in a third-set tiebreaker.

Djokovic naturally proved a steeper challenge as the Serb eased through the opening set and appeared to have the match wrapped up when he scored a crucial break in the ninth game of the second.

Bergs pulled off a Houdiniesque comeback to level the set at five games apiece, but Djokovic battled right back, winning a lung-busting rally to earn a break point in the following game. Serving for the match a second time, Djokovic earned a pair of match points only for Bergs to save both and turn the tables once again with a break point opportunity.

Djokovic saved it with a strong serve and quickly earned a third match point, a final miss from Bergs sealing the deal for the 24-time Grand Slam champion in just under two hours.

Up next for Djokovic is Vacherot, one half of the ATP tour’s newly minted dynamic cousin duo alongside France’s Arthur Rinderknech. A former college player for Texas A&M University, Vacherot made his first Masters 1000 semifinal after rallying from a set down to defeat No. 10 seed Holger Rune, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.