Novak Djokovic will meet Andy Murray in the BNP Paribas Paris Masters final on Sunday after the Serb exacted a measure of revenge on Stanislas Wawrinka in the French capital.
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Djokovic, who extended his winning run to 21 matches, is on course to become the first player to win six ATP Masters 1000 titles in a season after prevailing 6-3 3-6 6-0 against Stan Wawrinka.
“I was frustrated with the beginning with the second set and my serve dropped off there and he managed to get the momentum”.
Britain’s Andy Murray reached the Paris Masters final for the first time with a 6-4 6-3 win over Spain’s David Ferrer.
Murray made a dream start, breaking to love in the first game, but Ferrer was spurred into action and the Spaniard levelled for 3-3 when two Murray unforced errors gave him a break in the sixth game.
The third round tie was at its best at the start of the second set, which opened with seven straight breaks of serve before Djokovic finally held to get the breathing space he needed.
Ferrer, the 2012 champion, beat 13th-seeded American John Isner 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in a topsy-turvy match after failing to serve out the match at 5-3, 40-15 up in the second set.
Djokovic secured the early break in the opener and he didn’t have to face a break point against him as he eased through the first set to take it 6-3. “That’s what I’m most proud of”.
“I definitely didn’t want to go into the third”, said Djokovic, who did not break serve during the match.
“This is a tournament I’ve struggled at in the past”, Murray said.
“When I saw the draw and I saw I had a possibility of playing him in the second round”, Federer told reporters.
The 28-year-old Serb produced a big first serve and a forehand victor off the blocked return to pull the first set into tie-break, which was dominated by Djokovic, winning four of the first five points to take control.
“I played a few good tennis”. The Scott then set up a last eight clash with Richard Gasquet.
Djokovic, this year’s Australia, Wimbledon and US Open champion, was guaranteed to finish the year as the world number one for the fourth time in five years, regardless of the outcome of this match. “You’re trying a bit too much and you lose a bit of confidence It was frustrating, I can assure you, losing four service games in the second set – it hasn’t happened to me for a long time”.
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He was nevertheless generous in praising Isner, who saved a break point in the fifth game of the third set with a clean backhand volley.
