Djokovic Makes Record 12th Consecutive Final in Beijing ~ BreakPoint

Some not so good news for Fedfans as Djokovic broke the previous record set by Federer of 11 consecutive finals when he defeated Ferrer in Beijing 6-2, 6-3 today. More proof that Djokovic is playing one of the best seasons in history and taking tennis to another level. Today he was well below his best and still brushed Ferrer aside with ease. He made 25 unforced errors and hit 14 winners which are poor by his standards.

Djokovic also dropped his serve in the second set when serving for the match at 5-2 in a game which included two double faults I think. It was not the kind of perfection we had seen from him all week and yet he still easily defeated a quality player like Ferrer. Pretty scary stuff. Djokovic will play Nadal in the final who defeated Fognini 7-5, 6-3. I got up early for that one and Nadal was playing pretty decent for a change.

He wasn’t making as many errors as he has of late and didn’t allow Fognini to find a foothold in the match. It’s a confidence boosting win for him but unless something crazy happens Djokovic will routine him in the final. With every passing match since the first round, Djokovic dropped one game more in each round. That trend may well continue because a 6-3, 6-3 or 6-4, 6-2 scoreline against Nadal sounds about right.

The latter is the score he beat Nadal in the exhibition by so we are probably looking at something similar again. Unless Djokovic’s dip in form against Ferrer is a sign that he will be rampant again in the final in which case he could embarrass Nadal. Djokovic has a way of playing his best tennis when it is needed most so that wouldn’t surprise me. At least we should give Nadal credit for not running away to protect his head-to-head again.

In Tokyo, Paire has continued his good recent form by upsetting Nishikori and he will face Stan in the final who defeated Muller in straight sets. Then the Shanghai draw has been made and Federer and Nadal are in the same half which could get interesting. Both have a long way to go before the semis, but Nadal seems to be gaining confidence. I’d love to see the first Fedal meeting since the 2014 Australian Open, but I’m not exactly counting on it.

Looking forward to the Beijing final!