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Novak Djokovic, the world number one, secured his place in the Geneva semi-finals on Thursday, positioning himself just two matches away from his first title of 2024. This achievement comes just days before he begins his French Open title defense.
In a compelling match at Parc des Eaux-Vives, Djokovic defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-1 in a swift 77 minutes. Griekspoor, ranked 27th globally and seeded sixth in the 28-man Geneva tournament, posed a significant challenge in the first set. He even had three set points against Djokovic, but ultimately couldn’t capitalize on his chances.
Reflecting on the match, Djokovic acknowledged the challenge, stating, “It was a great win. I thought the first set could have gone his way easily because I think he was a better player for most of the first set. We could have been having a completely different direction of the match if he converted those set points. I was lucky to find some really good serves, and from that moment onwards I really, really played some good, solid tennis.”
Earlier that day, Griekspoor had completed his rain-delayed second-round match against Denis Shapovalov, overcoming the Canadian with a scoreline of 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-3. This match had been paused on Wednesday night due to rain, resuming Thursday morning.
Next up for Djokovic is Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic in Friday’s semi-finals. Their only prior meeting was in Dubai last year, where Djokovic emerged victorious. Machac, currently ranked 44th in the world, earned his semi-final spot by defeating 19-year-old Alex Michelsen from the United States 6-3, 7-6(2) in their quarter-final clash. Michelsen had previously caused an upset by eliminating third-seeded Taylor Fritz in the second round.
In another quarter-final match, second seed Casper Ruud, a two-time Geneva champion, was scheduled to play against Argentinian fifth seed Sebastian Baez.
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