By Chris Oddo

(August 17, 2012) -- Novak Djokovic continued his hard-court supremacy and his domination over World No. 15 Marin Cilic today with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of the Croatian at the Western and Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.

“It was best match so far here in this tournament,” said Djokovic, who is gunning for his 13th Masters title in Cincinnati this week. “[It] came in the right moment, really.  I had the biggest challenge today with Cilic who has been playing well the last couple of months.”

Things started innocently enough. Djokovic held to start the match, but with Cilic leading 40-0 in the his first service game, the Serb roared back to steal the game.

From there Djokovic, who has now won fourteen straight hard-court matches and 28 out of his last 30 on the surface, took control

Cilic saved three set points while serving at 2-5, but Djokovic took care of business on his serve to grab the first set.

Djokovic saved all four break points he faced against Cilic in winning for the seventh consecutive time against the 6’6” Croatian. Dating back to 2008, Djokovic has won fourteen consecutive sets against Cilic.

Djokovic will face Juan Martin del Potro in one of tomorrow’s semifinals. Del Potro crushed lucky loser Jeremy Chardy in the day’s first match, 6-1, 6-3. Still, it was a momentous run for the Frenchman who upset Andy Murray yesterday for his second top ten win in as many weeks to reach the quarterfinals.

Djokovic suffered an emotional defeat to Del Potro in the bronze medal match at the Olympics, but the Serb still holds a 4-2 edge in the career head-to-head. “He won that match. It happens. It's a sport,” Djokovic told reporters today. “You lose, you win, but the most important thing is to try to move on and become even better and even stronger from those experiences and try to win.

“So tomorrow will be my opportunity to win against him.”

Del Potro suffered an injury scare on Thursday when he had to seek the attention of medical staff after feeling pain in his left wrist. But the former Grand Slam champion showed little signs of favoring the wrist today against Chardy.

"The good thing, I'm not getting worse so I can play," said Del Potro. "But anyway, I want to wait [to see] what the doctor says, because I have experience on my other wrist."

Del Potro underwent surgery on his right wrist in the spring of 2010 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The World No. 9 broke four times on seventeen opportunities against the Frenchman, and he saved all three of the break points he faced in the second set of the one hour and sixteen-minute match.