Novak Djokovic won his 21st consecutive match with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 win in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. Djokovic beat Stan Wawrinka for the fourth time in five matches in 2015.
Djokovic Extends Consecutive Sets Streak To 29
Djokovic entered play on Saturday with 28 straight sets won over his past 15 matches. The Serb had not dropped a set since Roger Federer took the second set in Djokovic's four set win over the Swiss in the U.S. Open final. Things started well for Djokovic as he pressured Wawrinka from the outset. He crafted a break point in the second game, but the fourth seeded Swiss was able to hold. After digging through a tough hold of serve to take a 2-1 lead, the top seeded Serb went to work again. He put Wawrinka into a hole again on serve and was able to score the break on the second break point chance of the game for a 3-1 lead. Djokovic would make that hold up as he finished the set without facing a break point at 6-3. The Serb got into Wawrinka's first serve well, winning 42 percent of the points.
Second Set Rally For Wawrinka
It looked bleak for Wawrinka early in the second as the Swiss struggled right away with Djokovic breaking in the opening game to take a lead. After exchanging love holds, Wawrinka won an epic 15 point fourth game to even the set at 2-2. It took the Swiss five looks at break chances to finally convert. Two games later, Wawrinka would score another break of Djokovic's serve for a 4-2 margin. It looked as if the typical Djokovic break back pattern would rear its head in the seventh game, but the fourth seed was able to fight off a trio of break points to hold 5-2. Wawrinka would finish the set off 6-3 with his third love hold of the set to square the match at one set each. The win by Wawrinka also ended Djokovic's consecutive sets won streak at 29.
Third Set Fizzles
Just as it looked like the match would end with a classic battle in the deciding set, Djokovic put that to rest quickly. After rediscovering his first serve, the Serb would break Wawrinka's first service game for a 2-0 lead. Wawrinka seemed out of steam as the set unfolded with the Swiss unable to hold any of his three service games as Djokovic scored the bagel 6-0 to complete the match. The win sends Djokovic to his 14th consecutive final. Wawrinka said after the match that Friday's late finish against Rafael Nadal sapped him of some energy, "Obviously, fatigue is there and it was very hard to fight today, but I'm happy with the way I managed to push him."
Sunday's Final
Novak Djokovic will face Andy Murray in Sunday's Paris final. It is the 31st meeting between the two with Djokovic holding a 20-10 edge. The Serb has won five of six meetings this season against Murray. The last meeting was a total crush job by Djokovic who whipped Murray at the Shanghai Masters 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Three of their career meetings have come on indoor hard courts. Djokovic is 3-0 in those matches with the last coming at this tournament in the quarterfinals last year. The Serb rolled past Murray 7-5, 6-2. Djokovic said he looks forward to another match with Murray, "It’s always a special kind of challenge because we have a rivalry that goes back a long time. We push each other to the limit, and I don’t expect anything less than that."
Djokovic has two big streaks on the line on Sunday. He is currently riding a 21 match win streak overall. The top seed has also not tasted defeat in Paris in his last 14 matches dating back to 2013. A win on Sunday would net Djokovic his third straight title in Paris.