The 24-time Grand Slam champion avenged last month’s Madrid Open loss to the Italian and will next face Britain's Cameron Norrie, who rallied to defeat Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

"It's great to be in the semi-finals again. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further, that's the goal," said Djokovic, who lost to Tomas Machac in last year's quarter-finals.

"I think I'm playing really good tennis. A straight-sets win, but it was much closer than the score indicates."

After taking the first set, Djokovic trailed 4-1 in the second but stormed back with five consecutive games to seal the win in one hour and 40 minutes.

The former world No. 1 admitted that smashing his racket in frustration helped him reset mentally and close out the match in straight sets.

"After the racquet breaking I kind of found my optimal state and balance mentally and emotionally to be able to play my best tennis when it was most needed," Djokovic, who was presented with a birthday cake on court, said.

Djokovic is bidding to become only the third man in history to win 100 ATP titles, after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).

--Reuters--