Djokovic beats Berdych to breeze into Shanghai final

Second seed Novak Djokovic cruised into the final of the Shanghai Masters with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic on Saturday.

Djokovic will meet either world number one Roger Federer or defending champion Andy Murray on Sunday.

The Serbian converted his second break point to lead 5-1 in the first set before Berdych put up some fight to slow his progress.

Djokovic was equally impressive in the second set, capitalising on an early break to lead 4-2 before eventually serving out to sail into his first Shanghai final.

"Obviously it's a big challenge when you play a Top 10 player," said Djokovic, who lost back-to-back Shanghai semi-finals in 2009 and 2010.

"Tomas is in great form the past couple of months. He's always a difficult player to play against on any surface because he has a very powerful serve and great forehand.

"I played tactically right. I was putting a lot of returns into the court, putting a lot of pressure on his serve. On the other hand, I was serving well when I needed to."

In contrast, Berdych did not have his serve going when he needed.

"He's a great player," said the Czech after succumbing to his 10th defeat in 11 meetings with Djokovic.

"I think just the game that he plays - it's not the one that suits my game that much," said the 27-year-old.

"I like to play quite aggressive. But this doesn't hurt him that much. So it's much more difficult for me to play him.

"He's the second player in the world, chasing for the first place. It's really tough to find the way and have a positive record with him," added Berdych.

- Reuters