Djokovic through to semi-finals after Nishikori retires

Thursday, 24 January 2019 01:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Tennis - Australian Open - Quarter-final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Japan's Kei Nishikori receives medical attention during the match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic - Reuters

Melbourne (Reuters): Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for a seventh time on Wednesday after eighth seed Kei Nishikori retired hurt when trailing 6-1 4-1 in their quarter-final.

Top seed and six-time champion Djokovic will meet Frenchman Lucas Pouille, a maiden Grand Slam semi-finalist, on Friday for a place in Sunday’s final. Rafa Nadal and Greek wunderkind Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet in the other semi-final on Thursday. Nishikori, who grinded through three five-set matches at the tournament, was clearly struggling after a handful of games in the evening match at Rod Laver Arena and had a medical time-out after losing the first set.