Novak Djokovic beat Nuno Borges 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 in 1 hour and 43 minutes to reach the semifinals at the ATP 250 tournament in Athens.
Djokovic dropped 12 points in his service games and saved two break points in the opening set. The 24-time Grand Slam champion converted one of his five break points and hit 22 winners to 20 unforced errors.
Borges saved two break points in the second and eight games of the first set and missed two break points in the ninth game. The first set went on serve en route to the tie-break.
Djokovic earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-1. The Serbian player won five serving games and earned his only break in the seventh game. He sealed the win with a hold of serve in the 10th game.
“It was a very physical battle. I thought Nuno played a high level. I was a bit surprised with how good he played. I think we went toe to toe, most of the match. Just a few points decided the winner tonight and he deserves a round of applause for his performance”, said Djokovic.
Djokovic set up a semifinal against Yannik Hanfmann, who edged past Marcos Giron 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.
