Djokovic cruises past Ferrer to reach Abu Dhabi final

TOP-RANKED Novak Djokovic routed David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3 on Friday to reach the final of the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Djokovic will face Spain's Nicolas Almagro in the final. A last-minute replacement for Rafael Nadal, Almagro rallied from a set down to beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the second semifinal.

Looking for a strong start to the 2013 season, notably at next month's Australian Open, Djokovic wrapped up the first set in only 26 minutes. He struggled early on in the second as Ferrer broke the defending champion to go up 2-1.

But Djokovic broke back courtesy of a delicate drop shot and several crisp winners to make it 2-2. He then broke Ferrer a second time to go up 4-2 on the way to an easy victory.

"I am definitely surprised with my game, considering the fact that this is the first match of the official season for me," Djokovic said.

"This is a great surface when preparing for Australia," he said. "We love it here. We come days before to practice and to enjoy the beautiful weather."

Ferrer, who lost in the final last year to Djokovic, credited the Serb with one of his trademark dominant performances.

"He has all the shots. Novak is playing very consistent," Ferrer said.

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