WORLD number two Roger Federer produced a dominant display to beat Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-4 and reach the final of the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London.
Federer will take on world number one Rafael Nadal in today’s final, after the Spaniard outlasted Andy Murray 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6) in the day’s earlier semi-final.
For the world number three to be as completely outplayed as Djokovic found himself is rare, but Federer was confident from the outset and did not look like being taken the distance in the clash, despite going an early break down in the second set.
The Swiss, who lost a tight semi-final to eventual champion Nikolay Davydenko in last year’s tournament at the O2, was clearly determined not to stay on court too late with the first semi-final having taken place almost six hours before.
Federer quickly laid out his intentions with a break in just the second game of the match, working his way into the net and putting away a backhand volley to level at deuce, before the Serb hit into the net to concede his serve.
Djokovic got off the mark in the fourth game of the match, although even then Federer pushed him to deuce before the Serb could hold with his second ace.
Federer already had the set pretty much wrapped up as he continued to cruise through on serve. But he made it even more emphatic with a second break in the sixth game, earning himself the break point by dancing around the ball and drilling a forehand winner down the line before Djokovic carved once more with a low forehand volley into the net.
The world number two had little trouble in serving out the set, requiring just 31 minutes before Djokovic hit a forehand return of serve long off the baseline to concede the set.
The Serb enjoyed a brief resurgence at the start of the second set, breaking in the second game with a dipping forehand that Federer could only volley into the net, and racing out into a 3-0 lead before the Swiss second seed could even get off the mark.
But, just as Djokovic had reeled off three straight games to start the second set, so too Federer bounced back with three straight games, breaking back when the Serb sent his backhand passing shot wide under pressure.
Djokovic was also forced to save three further break points in the seventh game, before being afforded a hold when Federer hit into the net.
But any hopes that the confidence-building hold would spur Djokovic on to the second set and a pulsating second semi-final were short-lived, as Federer broke again in the ninth game with a forehand winner cross court that Djokovic could get nowhere near.
Serving out the match was merely a formality for Federer, and he wrapped up victory after one hour and 20 minutes with an ace out wide to set up his first hard court meeting with Nadal since the Australian Open final in 2009.