Nadal beats Fognini to reach final of China Open

Novak Djokovic with his prize.

Rafael Nadal earns his place in the final of the China Open as he overcomes his US Open nemesis Fabio Fognini in straight sets in Beijing.

The current and former world No. 1 players squared off in a Bangkok exhibition earlier this month. He fought off two match points in a fourth-set tiebreaker before winning in five.

He will play unseeded Benoit Paire in the final after the Frenchman stunned home favorite and second seed Kei Nishikori 1-6 6-4 6-2 i the second semifinal.

Paire, competing in his first ATP Tour 500 semifinal, looked out of sorts in the opening set but found his range following a medical timeout in the second to re-tape his ankle. If not, the match is going to be tough.

“I played much closer to the baseline than the previous days”.

“Every time I get to play him is another challenge, he is the player I’ve played the most in my career”.

“I know today Novak is not my league, is a different level of me this year”, Nadal said.

Nadal leads their head-to-head 23-21, but hasn’t beaten Djokovic since the French Open final at Roland Garros in Paris past year.

Djokovic is looking to win the Beijing crown for the sixth time, following victories in 2009-10 and 2012-14.

The top-ranked Serb, who is now making merry at the China Open in Beijing with an incredible 26-0 record at the tournament, revealed that he would like to be associated with tennis even after hanging up his boots from the professional circuit.

In the third game, Ferrer erased a break point with an ace out wide. Nadal won 2-1 and advanced to the semifinal. But Djokovic was swiftly back in control and broke Ferrer in the following game to claim his 67th victory of the season. It was the first time in the tournament Djokovic dropped serve.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return shot while playing against…

Ferrer is typically a sniper squeezing off his best weapon-the inside-out forehand-into sharp angles.

The result is never in doubt and Djokovic converts with a backhand volley.

Djokovic’s only real mis-step came when he served for the final.