Third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 hardcourt tournament on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
In the semi-finals Djokovic will face the winner of the quarter-final between second-seeded Swiss Roger Federer and fifth-seeded American Andy Roddick.
Djokovic, who had lost his last four encounters with the Frenchman, reversed that trend despite receiving treatment for apparent heat-related symptoms in the second set.
Tsonga had two chances to break Djokovic in the eighth game of the second set, but couldn't capitalize on either and the Serbian closed out the match in just under two hours.
Djokovic, who said he had been battling a stomach ailment on Tuesday, said that the heat and the pressure of the match all affected him. But he still displayed precise, powerful groundstrokes that had Tsonga on the defensive from the start.
"I have to be very happy with today's performance, because I have been struggling to find a way to win against him in the last four encounters," he said. "I just knew that I needed to stick in and try to wait for my chances and be aggressive.
"Today I think I tried to be closer to the line, more in control, and just put the pressure on him. So I think that's what I did."
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