Novak Djokovic has cruised into the Astana Open semi-finals after beating Karen Khachanov 6-4 6-3.
The Serb was too strong for his Russian opponent as he broke on three occasions to reach the last four in Astana.
Khachanov provided Djokovic with a stern test and broke once in the opening set, but ultimately it was the 21-time Grand Slam champion who prevailed.
Next for Djokovic will be Roberto Bautista Agut or Daniil Medvedev in the last four on Saturday.
The Serb was yet to be broken in his previous two matches in Astana and Djokovic continued his imperious form by breaking in a gruelling second game to take a 2-0 lead.
Djokovic’s serve has been a key feature of his recent dominance and the Serb continued to dictate play off of it with his accuracy and power.
However Khachanov’s consistent power from the baseline put pressure on Djokovic in the fifth game with a poor volley at the net ensuring the Russian earned the break back at 2-3.
Both players secured a comfortable rhythm on serve with Khachanov displaying some of his best tennis, pushing the world number seven to his limits.
Just like champions do, Djokovic found a way past Khachanov’s resilience and the Serb broke in the tenth game with his first set point to claim the opening set in 42 minutes.
Overall Djokovic was much more dominant in the second set as he broke for a 3-1 lead with Khachanov offering very little consistent quality to trouble the Serb.
The former world number one managed to find the right angles with precise shot-making from the baseline to secure effective winners.
There was a late show of resistance from Khachanov as the Russian pushed hard to find the break back.
In the end though, Djokovic won three points in a row to claim an important victory and a place in the semi-finals.
After the match Djokovic admitted he wasn’t at his best but was pleased with the end result, “I didn’t play as well from the baseline as I did in the first two matches, but still it was enough,” Djokovic told the ATP website.
“I managed to produce some good tennis when it was the most needed in both sets.”
For Khachanov it’s now a 20th consecutive defeat to a top ten player with nine of those occurring this year.
As for Djokovic he will play Roberto Bautista Agut or Daniil Medvedev in the last four on Saturday.