Shanghai - Novak Djokovic survived 55 unforced errors and
missed 11 break points but scratched out a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over
Gilles Simon on Saturday to move into the final of the Masters Cup.
Djokovic took treatment in the third set for a left calf muscle
pull as he denied the dream of year-end debutant Simon, who claimed
the last of the spots in the eight-man field when Rafael Nadal
withdrew.
'It's the Masters Cup, best eight players in the world this year
are here, it's a huge success for me to reach the final,' said the
Serb.
'My injury is nothing too serious. It was just cramping because of
a lot of running and a lot of rallies we had. So I just had to treat
it a little bit in order to end up the match.'
The world number three will await an opponent from Andy Murray and
Nikolay Davydenko.
The Scot was hoping for a recovery after spending three hours of
drama in defeating Roger Federer 24 hours earlier while Davydenko was
relatively rested for his bid at a first year-end final.
France's Simon brought a 1-0 head-to-head over Djokovic onto the
court after defeating him in the Marseille second round in February.
But the rookie was unable to impose his game on the Australian
Open holder after winning the first set in the contest which lasted a
shade under three hours.
'This match was so long, and he was very aggressive - more than
me,' said Simon. 'He was a little bit lucky sometimes, touching many
lines, and finally he won the match.
'When you play three hours like this, you have so many
opportunities to win. That's why it's very hard to lose.'
Djokovic has capped a remarkable turnaround from a year ago in
Shanghai when he lost all three of his group matches to return a
broken man to Europe.
At this edition, he retains a chance to lift his first title since
winning Rome over Swiss Stan Wawrinka in May.
'To be in the final is something special. Every player has a
motive more to do well and to win the title.
'I haven't won a title for a long time, so I would like to end up
my season in a good way.'
Simon, with three titles in a breakthrough 2008, fought back in
the 10th game of the final set to recover a break from Djokovic.
But the Serb seed returned the favour for 6-5 as nerves got the
better of the French youngster, with Djokovic wrapping up the
hard-fought victory a game later with a drop volley winner.
'My goal for next year is to stay in the top 10 and to play better
in the Slams, I lost every time in the third round this year,' said
Simon.
'I really want to play some semi-finals, finals, because every
time I play on the center court, like this, I play my best tennis.'
USA
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