Indian Wells, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer each won their semifinal matches Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open to set up a blockbuster final in the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.
The seventh-seeded Federer had little trouble disposing of No. 28 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov by a 6-3, 6-1 score at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The second-seeded Djokovic had a tougher time in his bout with Josh Isner, but dominated the third set en route to a 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1 decision over the lone remaining American.
Djokovic, who titled at this event in 2008 and 2011, dropped a second-set tiebreaker to even the match before scoring an early break in the third to go up 3-1. The six-time Grand Slam champion broke the 12th-seed Isner on the latter's next serve as well before closing out the two-hour, 23-minute battle.
Isner had upset Djokovic in the 2012 Indian Wells semifinals.
Federer, meanwhile, needed just over an hour to put away Dolgopolov, who had scored a shocking win over World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the third round five days ago. The Swiss star generated seven aces to run his current win streak to 11 matches.
The 32-year-old Federer will be seeking a record fifth title at this tournament.
Federer owns a 17-15 edge all-time against Djokovic and downed the Serbian standout in the semifinals in Dubai on Feb. 28.
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