London, England (SportsNetwork.com) – Novak Djokovic advanced to the title
match at the ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday with a three-set victory over
Kei Nishikori.
Djokovic clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking on Friday after completing round-
robin play with a perfect 3-0 mark, then went out Saturday and claimed a 6-1,
3-6, 6-0 semifinal win to reach the final at the season-ending event for the
third straight year.
The 27-year-old Serb has won this tournament each of the last two years and
first captured the title in 2008. He will try to become the first player since
Ivan Lendl from 1985-87 to win the championship three straight years.
Next up for Djokovic will be the winner of the second semifinal between Swiss
compatriots Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. Federer, who also went undefeated
in round-robin play, is a six-time winner of this event. He won it in back-to-
back years three times (2003-04, 2006-07, 2010-11).
Djokovic dropped just nine games in his three round-robin matches and ripped
through the first set Saturday in just 23 minutes. Nishikori, who stunned the
Wimbledon champion in the semifinals at the U.S. Open, rallied in the second
set with a pair of breaks to force a third.
However, the final set was all Djokovic. He broke serve to start the set and
never wavered, winning all six games to finish the match in 87 minutes and run
his indoor winning streak to 31 straight matches.
Nishikori had a banner year, becoming the first Asian player to reach the
season-ending event. He won four titles in 2014 and reached two other finals,
including his first Grand Slam championship match — a loss to Marin Cilic at
the U.S. Open finale in September.
