Novak Djokovic reached the final of the Paris Masters for the first time by overpowering second-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday.
The 22-year old Serb, the third seed, will next face either Frenchman Gael Monfils or Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic.
Djokovic, who has a 6-14 record against Nadal but beat him for the second consecutive time, was dominant from the start and didn’t face a single break point on his way to victory.
Winning 83 percent of the points played on his first serve, Djokovic, who had 31 winners, took the first set after claiming four games in a row.
The former Australian Open winner pumped his fist when he broke Nadal to love to lead 4—2 with a backhand winner down the line. He didn’t lose a point in the next two games, overwhelming his rival with powerful ground-strokes and subtle drop shots.
Nadal, who lost 14 straight points on his serve and seven consecutive games overall, was broken at love for the third time in a row when Djokovic hit another forehand down the line for a 2-0 lead in the second set.
The in-form Djokovic, who defeated top-ranked Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors final last week, twisted his ankle in the seventh game after firing a crosscourt backhand passing shot but kept his serve and closed out the match with a forehand winner.
Nadal returned to competition in October after a month off with a pulled stomach muscle. He reached the semifinals in Beijing, then the final in Shanghai where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko. His last title victory on the tour came in May at the Rome Masters.
