MADRID: Rafael Nadal ended his seven-match winless streak against Novak Djokovic with a 6-2, 6-4 win that put him in the Madrid Open final again on Saturday.
Nadal overpowered Djokovic, and converted on his third match point to earn his first victory against the second-ranked Serb since the 2014 French Open final. Nadal had lost 15 straight sets against Djokovic, and won only one of the last 12 matches against him in four years.
It was another categorical win in what has been a superb season for the fifth-ranked Nadal, who will be trying to win his third straight title on Sunday.
It was Nadal's 14th straight victory, and his tour-leading 33rd for the year.
The four-time Madrid champion will play the title game against Dominic Thiem of Austria or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.
It will be the Spaniard's eighth final at his home tournament, and the first since losing to Andy Murray in 2015. Nadal last won in Madrid in 2014.
"I can't be any happier," Nadal said. "It means the world to me to make it to another final here in Madrid."
Nadal has been playing some of his best tennis this year. He's reached six finals this season and is coming off consecutive titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
"It was an important match for me because it meant continuing with the good dynamic that I've been carrying for several months," Nadal said. "I knew that I had to play well. It's true that he made some mistakes, but he fought until the end."
Djokovic hasn't reached a final since winning his first tournament of the year in Doha in January.
This was his first tournament since splitting with longtime coach Marian Vajda.