CINCINNATI: Top seed Novak Djokovic had to rally against a lowly qualifier to get another shot at a title he’s never won. Next in his way: Roger Federer, who has more Cin­cinnati trophies than anyone else.

Djokovic got a little help in the tie-breaker and pulled away to a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov on Saturday to reach the Western & Southern Open final.

He’ll face Federer, a six-time champion who has never lost a Cincinnati final in a rematch of their title-deciding Wimbledon clash.

“There’s always a lot at stake, this one in particular,” Swiss second seed Federer said after beating third seed Andy Murray 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).

Serb Djokovic, who beat Federer in the Wimbledon final for a second consecutive year last month, is 0-4 career in finals at Cincinnati where he’s never even won a set. It’s the only one of the nine ATP Masters to elude him.

“I gave myself another chance to fight for the trophy,” Djokovic said. “That was the goal and that was the wish coming here in Cincinnati.

“Obviously last couple of years, it was always in the back of my mind, the potential history making, and obviously that motivates me even more.”

Federer’s win over Murray was his fifth straight over the Scot.

The 34-year-old earned the opening set with a break in the third game but had to duel in a tiebreaker to claim another straight-sets win and secure his spot in the final on his second match point without the loss of serve this week.

Winning the semi-final also opens the door for Federer to steal back the ATP number two ranking which Murray claimed this week after his victory in Montreal.

With a seventh title he would return to number two in time to gain the second seeding at the US Open, which begins on August 31.

On the women’s side, defending champion Serena Williams gave herself a chance to make it two Cincinnati titles in a row. She brushed off some serving troubles before cruising to a 6-4 6-3 win over Elina Svitolina and will meet Simona Halep in the final.

Serena’s serve was off for a second con­secutive match and she committed 34 unforced errors but the world number one was never under serious threat from the 14th-seeded Ukrainian.

The American will bid to complete a calendar Grand Slam at her home US Open, a pursuit that kept her early struggles in perspective on Saturday.

“I wanted to not worry about this match, but worry about the next few matches and next few weeks and start playing better for that,” Serena said in an on-court interview. “I got off to a super slow start today but I started going for it and I think that helped me out.”

Romanian third seed Halep crushed former champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-2 in the other semi-final. Halep will also return to number two in the world behind Serena as a result of her win and will take the second seeding at the US Open.

“Serena is the best player and I have no pressure. Reaching number two doesn’t matter to me much,” said Halep. “I just want to win the match.”

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play