Beijing stage set for Djokovic-Nadal showdown No. 45
WORLD NO.1 Novak Djokovic will face Rafael Nadal in a blockbuster final at the China Open after beating David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3 in 74 minutes on Saturday in the Beijing semi-finals.
Could Nadal be the one to snap Djokovic’s 28-match winning streak in the Chinese capital? The Spaniard leads their FedEx ATP Head-to-Head 23-21, but it is Djokovic who has prevailed in six of their past seven contests. When the duo met in the 2013 Beijing final, it was Djokovic who won in straight sets.
Earlier in the first semi-final, Nadal triumphed in a closely fought, two set victory 7-5, 6-3 over his 2015 nemesis, Italian Fabio Fognini. While, the Serb has been playing impeccable tennis en-route to the finals, the Spaniard has managed to scrape his way through.
After beating Fognini, an elated Nadal expressed his satisfaction on Atpworldtour.com, “I'm happy to be in the final obviously. It's a good result for me, very positive one. And tomorrow is a match to enjoy.”
“This result gives me a lot of important points for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals too," added Nadal. I don't say that I am qualified, but with that result I am much closer to being qualified for the World Tour Finals.”
The Belgrade native is looking to win the Beijing crown for the sixth time, following victories in 2009-10 and 2012-14. The right-hander, who has already secured the year-end top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the fourth time in five years, will attempt to win his eighth tour-level title in what has been an incredible season.
