Sam Querrey on Friday hung tough until 4-all in the first set against world No. 3 Novak Djokovic on the red clay of Monte Carlo Country Club in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters tournament beside the blue waters of the Mediterranean.

But after a long game in which Djokovic broke him, it was clear he was in over his head against the Serbian star who is the reigning Australian Open and Indian Wells champion. Djokovic, who lost only three points on his serve in the first set, finished him off 6-4, 6-0.

Querrey’s showing in Monte Carlo was certainly more than respectable, and he was able to win points early with his big serve and forehand, and demonstrated capable groundstrokes in long rallies until the match turned on him. The twenty-year-old Californians’ ranking will jump from 50 to 38 after Monte Carlo, and he took home a nice check of 46,000 Euros, a total of $72,000 when converted to U.S. dollars.

Tomorrow’s semifinals feature the top four players in the world, with Djokovic against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal against Nikolay Davydenko. Live coverage starts on the Tennis Channel at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday.

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