Novak Djokovic took another step towards potentially securing his first Monte Carlo Masters title since 2015 with a victory over Australian Alex de Minaur, advancing to the semi-finals.
The world number one, aged 36, navigated through a messy second set characterized by seven breaks of serve to clinch a 7-5 6-4 win over De Minaur.
With this win, Djokovic reaches his 77th semi-final at ATP 1000 events, setting a new men’s record, surpassing Rafael Nadal.
Next, Djokovic will face Casper Ruud after the Norwegian eighth seed defeated Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-3 4-6 6-1.
Meanwhile, Italian second seed Jannik Sinner overcame Holger Rune 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3, setting up a semi-final clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Sinner, the Australian Open champion, is the only player to reach the semi-finals at all three ATP Masters 1000 events this season.
Greek 12th seed Tsitsipas, a two-time Monte Carlo champion, secured his spot in the semi-finals by defeating Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4 6-2.
Despite admitting that he did not believe he was performing at his “top level” after his quarter-final win over Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic remains undefeated in sets on his way to his first Monte Carlo semi-final since 2015. At 36 years old, he becomes the tournament’s oldest semi-finalist.