TOKYO: Showing no lingering effects of a shoulder injury, Novak Djokovic coasted into the semifinals of the Japan Open on Friday with a straight-sets win over Lucas Pouille.
Top-ranked Djokovic, who is attempting to win a title on his tournament debut for the 10th time, needed just 50 minutes at Ariake Colosseum to dispatch the fifth-seeded Pouille 6-1, 6-2 and set up a semifinal with either Hyeon Chung or David Goffin, who won here in 2017.
Djokovic got off to a strong start, winning the first game with a powerful ace, one of five in the first set.
He broke Pouille in the next game to take a 2-0 lead and went up 5-1 after another break before serving to win the first set in just 20 minutes.
The second set was more of the same with Djokovic breaking Pouille in the first game and taking a 4-0 lead before Pouille won his first game of the set.
Pouille showed a brief sign of life by breaking Djokovic to make it 4-2 but that was as close as he would get. Djokovic broke in the next game and then served out to win with a powerful forehand to the corner.
It was a dominant performance for the world’s No. 1 player who won 82 percent of first serve points and five of six break points.
Djokovic retired with a left-shoulder injury during his fourth-round match against Stan Wawrinka at the US Open.
In his first competitive match since facing Wawrinka, Djokovic was knocked out of the doubles with Filip Krajinovic on Monday but beat Alexei Popyrin in the first round and Japanese wild card entry Go Soeda in the second round.
In other matches, Reilly Opelka beat Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 6-3 and will face John Millman in the semifinals. Millman overpowered Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-0.
Djokovic overpowers Pouille to reach Japan Open semifinals
Djokovic overpowers Pouille to reach Japan Open semifinals
- Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is attempting to win a title on his tournament debut for the 10th time
- It was a dominant performance for the world’s No. 1 player
Stinger Golf Club rebrands as Southern Guards GC
- South Africa’s LIV Golf team unveils new identity ahead of 2026 home debut
NEW YORK: LIV Golf has announced that South Africa’s Stinger Golf Club has rebranded as Southern Guards GC, just months before the league tees off on African soil for the first time.
At the heart of the Southern Guards’ brand identity is an emphasis on culture, unity and resilience, inspired by the principle of Ubuntu, under the slogan: “I am because we are.”
Also central to the team’s new identity is the rhino, which has considerable symbolic meaning in South African culture.
The rebrand comes ahead of LIV Golf South Africa at Steyn City, Johannesburg, from March 19 to 22. With more than 70,000 tickets already sold, interest continues to grow.
Richard Glover, general manager of Southern Guards GC, said: “This has been an emotional and considered decision, but we felt the time was right to embrace a name and visual identity that more authentically reflects who we are and where we come from.
“Southern Guards GC reflects the responsibility we carry in representing South Africa on a global stage. With LIV Golf coming to the country for the first time, the timing couldn’t be more fitting for us to represent our heritage with pride.”
Southern Guards GC will continue into the 2026 season with the same all-South African lineup that has become synonymous with the team’s identity.
The team members are Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester and Charl Schwartzel, four of the country’s most accomplished golfers.
