Djokovic sweeps into last four at Indian Wells

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By Mark Lamport-Stokes

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) - Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic survived an erratic first set to beat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 6-2 in the Pacific Life Open quarter-finals on Thursday.

Third-seeded Djokovic, defeated in last year's final by Spaniard Rafael Nadal, raised his game in the second set to wrap up victory in just over two hours on the Stadium Court.

The Serb, who has now beaten Wawrinka three times in five career meetings on the ATP Tour, will next meet either second seed Nadal or American James Blake in the last four.

"I didn't play so well in the first set," Djokovic, 20, told reporters. "I made a lot of unforced errors. He knows that I'm going to try to be aggressive so he was waiting for his chance. He was playing very wisely.

"You can't always play on your top level and it's normal to have some difficult stages in a tournament," added the Serb who has not dropped a set this week. "This was really a test for me. I'm happy to win such a difficult match."

On a sun-splashed afternoon at Indian Wells, Djokovic charged 5-3 up in the opening set after breaking his opponent for a second time, ending a protracted rally with a forehand volley at the net.

However, the 22-year-old Swiss, who won the 2003 French Open junior title, broke back in the ninth and 11th games to edge 6-5 up as the Serb's unforced error count mounted.

Serving for the first set, Wawrinka was again broken and Djokovic clinched the tiebreak 7-5 after establishing a 5-3 lead.

CHEST BEATING

The relieved Serb sank to his knees after winning the set with a forehand volley and beat his chest several times in celebration.

"As you could see by the reaction, it was probably the most important point of the game," Djokovic said. "I'm a very emotional player on the court and I like to express my feelings."

The world number three tightened his grip in the second set, breaking the Swiss in the first and fourth games before serving out for victory.

With an overall tally of 42 unforced errors and 29 winners, the Serb reached his third ATP semi-final of the year.

For Wawrinka, the match hinged on the tiebreak in the opening set.

"He was playing a little better at the end of the set," the Lausanne native said. "I played a good tiebreak, but he was better in the tiebreak.

"He knows what to do when it's a tiebreak. When you play the important points, he knows exactly how to play and he does it well."

Nadal and ninth-seeded Blake were scheduled to play later on Thursday.

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