Novak Djokovic overwhelms Rafael Nadal to reach final of Paris Masters

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Djokovic defeats Nadal to reach final in Paris

PARIS — Novak Djokovic reached the final of the Paris Masters for the first time by overpowering Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Serb will face either Gael Monfils of France or Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic on Sunday.

“I felt so good on the court that all the shots I hit transformed into winners,” Djokovic said. “It was perfect, exactly the way I wanted.”

Djokovic defeated Nadal for the second consecutive time to improve his overall record to 6-14 against him. The third-ranked Djokovic was dominant from the start and didn’t face a single break point on his way to victory.

Nadal defeated defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals after two difficult three-set matches in the previous rounds.

“I finished this tournament much better than I started,” Nadal said. “The confidence will not go away because I lost 6-2, 6-3 to Djokovic.”

Winning 83 percent of first-serve points, Djokovic also had 31 winners. He took the first set after claiming four games in a row.

The former Australian Open winner pumped his fist when he broke the second-ranked Nadal at love to lead 4-2 with a backhand winner down the line. He didn’t lose a point in the next two games, overwhelming his rival with powerful groundstrokes and subtle drop shots.

Nadal, who lost 14 straight points on his serve and seven consecutive games overall, was broken at love for the third time in a row when Djokovic hit another forehand down the line for a 2-0 lead in the second set.

Djokovic, who defeated top-ranked Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors final last week, twisted his ankle in the seventh game after firing a crosscourt backhand passing shot. But he held serve and closed out the match with a forehand winner.

Nadal returned to competition in October after a month off because of a pulled stomach muscle. He reached the semifinals in Beijing, then the final in Shanghai where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko. His last title victory on the tour came in May at the Rome Masters.

Nadal and Djokovic are among eight players who will compete in the ATP World Tour Finals on Nov. 22-29 in London.

Nadal is also expected to play the Davis Cup final when defending champion Spain will host the Czech Republic on Dec. 4-6 in Barcelona.