In a day where players struggled with injuries, two men advanced to the semifinals at the US Open.

Monfils All Business, Advances to Semifinals

In the first men’s quarterfinal, 10th seeded Gael Monfils met Lucas Pouille, who entered the match fresh off of his upset of Rafael Nadal. In a battle of two Frenchmen who each have plenty of weapons in their arsenals, Monfils would advance to the semi-finals with an emphatic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win.

In the opening set, the two players felt each other out early, but Monfils struck first, finding a service break late in the set. He would consolidate the break and serve out the set to take the early advantage.

In the second set, there was a sense that Pouille’s game was flat, perhaps following his electric win against Rafael Nadal in the previous round. Monfils took advantage and benefited from unforced errors to earn an early break opportunity. The veteran would close out the set in a workmanlike manner.

Monfils continued his work in the third set. It appeared the physical toll of having played three five-setters, and the mental toll that came with his victory against Nadal finally took its toll. Monfils was all business as he closed the door on his compatriot.

The aggressive Frenchman was efficient on the day with 34 winners to just 15 unforced errors.

Afterward, Monfils seemed to take offense to those questioning some of his tactics on court, “I dive because I want to win the point,” he said. “Definitely, I want to win the point. You know, when you make the show, honestly, it’s to entertain, but it’s to win. So what’s the point to make the show and lose? That’s why people think, ‘Oh, he’s jumping; he’s sliding.’ In the end, you think I’m stupid?”

The 30-year old has yet to drop a set in the tournament and will move to the semifinals looking fresh and energetic.

Djokovic Through as Tsonga Retires

The night cap in Arthur Ashe Stadium featured two players who are no strangers to each other having met 22 times previously. Djokovic advanced after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to retire trailing 6-3, 6-2.

In the first set, Tsonga quickly found a rhythm and appeared confident in his chances against the world no. 1.  He made inroads into the Serb’s serve midway through the set, earning a break point, but Djokovic quickly fought him off. However, on his next service game, the Frenchman struggled immensely on his serve and Djokovic quickly broke to take a 4-2 lead. Not to be outdone, Tsonga broke back as both players found it difficult to hold serve. But 19 unforced errors in the set were too much for Tsonga to overcome and the top-seed took the opening set despite a subpar start.

Djokovic began to up the level of his play in the second set as Tsonga continued to struggle. Then, late in the set, the Frenchman called for the trainer who treated and wrapped his knee. Djokovic would take the set and in the third, as Tsonga attempted to serve in the first game, he was forced to retire.

With a walkover and two retirements, Djokovic has only played nine full sets of tennis during the tournament and will move to the semifinals where he will meet Monfils.