Djokovic to meet Fritz in Shanghai semis and Sabalenka to play Gauff in Wuhan

SHANGHAI (AP) — Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz advanced to a semifinal matchup at the Shanghai Masters on Friday.

Four-time champion Djokovic fought back from a set down to beat Czech player Jakub Mensik 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Mensik, ranked 65th, Mensik had 17 aces, but he also made six double-faults and 32 unforced errors. It was their first career meeting.

“We went toe-to-toe until the last moment,” Djokovic said.

“I stayed collected and started off very well in the second (set), I felt that we both had a physical crisis at the beginning of the set. We pushed each other a lot, a lot of long rallies. A tough battle, almost two and a half hours.”

While Djokovic reached a 77th Masters semifinal, Fritz will play his fifth Masters semifinal after a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 victory over David Goffin of Belgium.

The American was in control throughout and converted three of his seven break points.

“I feel like sometimes it takes a couple of matches to find my routines, to find what feels good and what is working for me,” Fritz said. “I feel like once I get past the first two rounds, I feel very locked in. I’ve come this far already, so I might as well really dial it in and I’m just enjoying being here.”

Djokovic has won all nine matches he has played against Fritz.

In the other semifinal on Saturday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner will face Tomas Machac, who toppled second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka served up a masterclass to beat Magdalena Frech of Poland 6-2, 6-2 and maintain her undefeated record at the Wuhan Open.

The Belarussian fired 42 winners in 16 games, and advanced to her eighth semifinal of the year. There, she'll meet fourth-ranked Coco Gauff.

Sabalenka, the U.S. Open champion, is 15-0 in Wuhan after winning the title on her first appearance in 2018 and defending her crown in 2019 before the tournament took a five-year hiatus from the calendar.

Earlier Friday, Gauff's impressive Asian swing showed no signs of ending as she routed Poland’s Magda Linette 6-0, 6-4 for her 50th win of the season.

It was also the American's ninth straight win in China, a streak which includes the China Open title last week, and never looked in doubt as Gauff broke the No. 45-ranked Linette four times and struck 19 winners to Linette’s 13.

“I’m really happy with how I played,” Gauff said. “Obviously a smooth first set. Happy I was able to close it out on my serve.”

It was a disappointing end to what was otherwise an impressive week for the 32-year-old Linette who reached her biggest quarterfinal.

The 51st-ranked Wang Xinyu of China, who beat third-ranked Jessica Pegula in the third round, squeezed past Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6).

Wang will next play compatriot and Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, who beat sixth-ranked Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Novak Djokovic of Serbia, right, hugs with Jake Mensik of the Czech Republic after winning in their men's singles quarterfinals match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand return against Jake Mensik of the Czech Republic during the men's singles quarterfinals match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates after defeating Jake Mensik of the Czech Republic in the men's singles quarterfinals match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts after defeating David Goffin of Belgium in the men's singles quarterfinals match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Taylor Fritz of the United States celebrates after defeating David Goffin of Belgium in the men's singles quarterfinals match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Taylor Fritz of the United States plays a backhand return against David Goffin of Belgium during the men's singles quarterfinals match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the men's singles quarterfinals match against David Goffin of Belgium in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Taylor Fritz of the United States celebrates after defeating David Goffin of Belgium in the men's singles quarterfinals match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis told Vatican bureaucrats on Saturday to stop speaking ill of one another, as he once again used his annual Christmas greetings to admonish the backstabbing and gossiping among his closest collaborators.

A wheezing and congested sounding Francis, who just turned 88, urged the prelates instead to speak well of one another and undertake a humble examination of their own consciences in the Christmas holiday season.

“A church community lives in joyful and fraternal harmony to the extent that its members walk in the life of humility, renouncing evil thinking and speaking ill of others,” Francis said. “Gossip is an evil that destroys social life, sickens people’s hearts and leads to nothing. The people say it very well: Gossip is zero.”

“Beware of this,” he added.

By now Francis’ annual Christmas address to the priests, bishops and cardinals who work in the Vatican Curia has become a lesson in humility -– and humilitation -- as Francis offers a public dressing down of some of the sins in the workplace at the headquarters of the Catholic Church.

In the most biting edition, in 2014, Francis listed the “15 ailments of the Curia,” in which he accused the prelates of using their Vatican careers to grab power and wealth. He accused them of living “hypocritical” double lives and forgetting — due to “spiritual Alzheimer’s” — that they’re supposed to be joyful men of God.

In 2022, Francis warned them that the devil lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith.

This year, Francis revisited a theme he has often warned about: gossiping and speaking ill of people behind their backs. It was a reference to the sometimes toxic atmosphere in closed environments such as the Vatican or workplaces where office gossip and criticism circulate but are rarely aired in public.

Francis has long welcomed frank and open debates and even has welcomed criticism of his own work. But he has urged critics to tell it to his face, and not behind his back.

Francis opened his address Saturday with a reminder of the devastation of the war in Gaza, where he said even his patriarch had been unable to enter due to Israeli bombing.

"Yesterday children have been bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war," he said.

The annual appointment kicks off Francis’ busy Christmas schedule, this year made even more strenuous because of the start of the Vatican’s Holy Year on Christmas Eve. The Jubilee is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to Rome over 2025, and Francis has a dizzying calendar of events to minister to them.

After addressing the Vatican prelates, Francis issued a less critical address to the Vatican’s lay employees who gathered in the city state's main audience hall along with their families. Francis thanked them for their service and urged them to make sure they take time to play with their children and visit grandparents.

“If you have any particular problems, tell your bosses, we want to resolve them,” he added at the end. “You do this with dialogue, not by keeping quiet. Together we’ll try to resolve the difficulties.”

It was an apparent reference to reports of growing unease within the Vatican workforce that has been called out by the Association of Vatican Lay Employees, the closest thing the Vatican has to a labor union. The association has in recent months voiced alarm about the health of the Vatican pension system and fears of even more cost-cutting, and demanded the Vatican leadership listen to workers’ concerns.

Earlier this year 49 employees of the Vatican Museums — the Holy See's main source of revenue — filed a class-action lawsuit in the Vatican tribunal complaining about labor woes, overtime and working conditions.

Unlike Italy, which has robust labor laws protecting workers' rights, Vatican employees often find they have fewer legal recourses available to them when problems arise. Employment in the Vatican however is often sought-after by Italian Catholics: Aside from the sense of service to the church, Vatican employment offers tax-free benefits and access to below-market housing.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Francis arrives to exchange season greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis exchanges season greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis exchanges the season's greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis arrives to exchange the season's greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis exchanges the season's greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he exchanges season greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis exchanges the season's greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis meets with Italian pilgrims participating in the Camino de Santiago, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis tries a skullcap received by faithful during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)