FOR the first time this week Novak Djokovic needed only two sets to triumph in Rome, beating Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4 as he reached the final and closed in on a 24th Masters 1000 title.
The Serb world No 1 will face Roger Federer, who knocked out fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2 at the Foro Italico as he bids for a fourth Rome Masters title.
Djokovic's winning streak now stands at 21, but he has been forced to earn them this week with closely fought victories over Nicolas Almagro, Thomaz Bellucci and Kei Nishikori. He seemed to move up a level against Ferrer though with a clinical display. The top seed needed just two breaks of serve to clinch a ninth consecutive win over Ferrer.
"I played the best match of the week," Djokovic said: "I'm satisfied with the way I played and happy to be in another final in Rome."
His only frustration was the state of the Centrale court, repeatedly complaining about the condition of the clay.
"That's the one thing I could have handled better. I should've been less nervous as there was nothing I could do about the court," he said.
Federer was broken in his first service game but, after falling 3-0 down, he dominated his Davis Cup team-mate.
"I was happy with the way I responded after being down," he said. "Obviously Stan can play much better than this."
In the women's event, Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro beat Romania's Simona Halep 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to reach her ninth career final, where she will meet Maria Sharapova who overcame Russian qualifier Daria Gavrilova 7-5, 6-3.
"It was such a tough match from a physical standpoint," Suarez Navarro said. "The biggest improvement I've made this year is in my mind."
Sharapova had to work extremely hard to defeat her compatriot, who left the court after the 11th game for treatment to an abdominal muscle injury and was clearly hampered on her return.
"She was obviously affected by it when serving," Sharapova said.
"But once you got into the rallies she moved and defended very well."
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