Murray-Djokovic, Sharapova-Jankovic set up Cincy finals

By Bill Scott Aug 21, 2011, 3:30 GMT

Cincinnati, Ohio - Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will both carry minor discomforts into Sunday's Cincinnati Masters finals.

Number one Djokovic reached the final with his 57th win of the season as Tomas Berdych quit in the face of a shoulder injury. The Czech spent just 52 minutes on court, retiring after losing the opening set 7-5.

Murray escaped Mardy Fish 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) in another match with both players hurting - Murray with a hamstring and Fish with a heel.

The women's title match at the combined event will be contested between between 2009 champion Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova, who holds a 5-1 lead in their series as the pair meet for a fourth time in finals.

Sharapova came back to beat second seed Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 while Jankovic defeated Andrea Petkovic 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 as the German took to the court with a slightly torn meniscus in her right knee after getting the all clear to play after a scan.

Sharapova defeated Zvonareva, who was playing her eighth semi-final of the season without reaching a title match, taking more than two hours.

'This is obviously a great confidence boost,' said the winner. 'I came here wanting to play a lot of matches, to be in the final. To give myself another chance to get the title is great.'

Jankovic, twice defeated this season by Petkovic, will play her first final since June. She last won a title in March, 2010.

'This means a lot,' said the Serb. 'We both played well, if Andrea had not had her leg strapping you would never know she had a problem.

'I had a slow start, but I began playing well and hitting really clean. I figured out my game and played a lot better. I improved in the second set and was able to finish it off in the third.'

Petkovic, ranked 11th, said she will now rest her knee and see doctors before the start of the US Open a week from Monday.

'I had a lot of painkillers so I didn't feel much. I got into the match pretty well but Jelena played great. Even if I was at 100 percent it would be tough. Hopefully I'll be fine in seven days.

With the US Open starting on August 29, regaining fitness will be key for the many top players field, with men's injury victims this week including Rafael Nadal, who has heavily bandaged fingers after a restaurant burn.

Djokovic easily earned a comeback against the hampered Berdych, who beat Roger Federer in the quarter-finals while playing through his bad shoulder.

'We both have the same injury - his is just more serious,' said nine-time 2011 title winner Djokovic. 'It's too bad it had to finish this way. All the top players play so much, and the schedule is taking a toll. But it's normal. You can't be 100 per cent all the time.'

Djokovic leads Murray 6-3, winning both of their meetings this year.

The fourth-seeded Murray, who won the 2008 title, admitted to cramping in his match.

'I had to go for it. Mardy was starting to play better in the second set. I didn't want to play a third,' Murray said.

'My hamstrings started tightening up occasionally, but they were OK on the full stretch. I was just rolling my serve in. But the cramps only came and went.'

2010 finalist Fish will take some rest for his heel before the Open.

'It doesn't feel great. It's not going to go away until I stop playing. Nine matches in two weeks doesn't help it. But it had zero effect on the outcome of the match.

'I'll take two, three, four days off and regroup and get away from the court. It's just mentally getting away from having to come back day after day and keep playing match after match.'

Fish could not follow up on his upset a day earlier of Nadal.

The number seven was broken after winning 30 service games this week as Murray tagged him for 3-1 in the opening set after the American saved three break points.

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