Men get bigname final

It will be top-seeded Novak Djokovic against second seed Andy Murray in the final of the US$4.1 million Rogers Cup.

Djokovic took a step closer to a fourth Rogers Cup title with a methodical 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over unseeded Jeremy Chardy on Saturday.

Murray, a two-time Rogers Cup winner, battled through a see-saw first set to dominate fourth seeded Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-0.

Djokovic holds a 19-8 record against Murray, winning their last eight meetings including the Australian Open final earlier this year. They have met once at a Rogers Cup in 2008, with Murray winning in two sets.

“Andy is all-around player, very complete, and has been around for so many years,” Djokovic said. “He knows how to play in the big stage, in the big matches.”

With the win, Murray will pass Roger Federer for the No. 2 world ranking.

“It’s nice to be back (at No. 2),” Murray said in a courtside interview. “It’s not easy now playing against some the greatest players ever to play the game.”

Djokovic, the winner in 2007, 2011 and 2012, is looking to tie an ATP Tour record with a fifth straight win this year at a Masters 1000 event, one step below the grand slams.

He stretched his career record against Chardy to 10-0.

Chardy decided to go to the net more, even if he is not a serve and volley player. But Djokovic rarely let him anywhere near the net.

“Every time I came in, I had a really tough volley to play,” Chardy said. “I mean, I like to come at the net when I have easy volley, not a tough volley.

“And every return game I had no chance. So it was not so easy to try new stuff.”

Djokovic survived two match points to beat qualifier Ernests Gulbis in a three-set quarterfinal, but Chardy fought off seven match points in his marathon 6-7 (9), 7-6 (13), 7-6 (4) quarter-final win over towering John Isner.

The Frenchman looked to have won over the Uniprix Stadium crowd with his unlikely run to his first Masters series semifinal. Fans called his name between points and cheered wildly when he won a point.

But the 28-year-old appeared to have little energy left against Djokovic, this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon winner who dominated the statistics and never faced a break point.

“I’m happy with this week, of course,” Chardy said. “For the first time, I made it to the semis in a Masters and I lost against the best player in the world.”