Djokovic takes number three ranking with place in Beijing final

BEIJING - Novak Djokovic defeated Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-3 Saturday to reach the final of the China Open and surge past injured Andy Roddick in the rankings.

Djokovic is to return to third in the world behind number one Roger Federer and Beijing top seed Rafael Nadal after spending 80 minutes in subduing Sweden’s losing Roland Garros finalist.

Scot Andy Murray could only watch from London as his ATP standing slipped from third to fourth, the result of his recent inactivity because of a wrist problem that forced him to withdraw from Asian events in Tokyo and next week’s Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic, seeded second and winner of two titles this season, broke Soderling early in the opening set after a double-fault rectified by three aces.

The Serb came back from a break down in the second set against the sixth-seeded Swede, recovering the break and earning his own in the seventh game on the way to his victory.

His opponent would be either Nadal - 14-0 in the Chinese capital after a 2005 tournament title and the Olympic gold medal 14 months ago - or his semi-final opponent Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Djokovic produced six aces and four breaks of serve as he improved to 4-0 over Soderling.

The Serb stands 62-17 on the season, the best on the ATP. He was playing in his 12th semi-final from 18 events in 2009.