Djokovic flawless in setting up Nadal final

With every loud squeak of his bluehued shoes, Novak Djokovic put himself in perfect position to control a point — and step closer to a record seventh Australian Open title.

Djokovic was flawless in his semifinal against overmatched No 28 Lucas Pouille and never relented en route to a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory in less than 90 minutes last night.

Of all the ways in which Djokovic dominated, perhaps this was the most impressive: He made a total of an unheard-of five unforced errors. And that’s despite risking enough to produce 24 winners.

“Everything worked the way I imagined it before the match,” Djokovic said. “And even more so.”

Tomorrow, No 1-ranked Djokovic will line up against his old rival, No 2 Rafael Nadal, for the 53rd time on tour and in their eighth grand slam final.

Only Nadal, with 17, and Roger Federer, with 20, own more major titles than Djokovic, who is gaining on them: He is seeking his 15th overall and third in a row, following Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 27-25 overall, while Nadal holds a 4-3 edge in major finals. The only other time they met with the Australian Open trophy on the line, in 2012, Djokovic edged Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 across 5 hours, 53 minutes, making it the lengthiest grand slam title match in history.

Given how well both men are playing at the moment, this showdown shapes up as another potential classic, unlike the two semifinals.

Nadal was superb while beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 on Thursday night and has yet to drop a set in the tournament. A day later, Djokovic played as if saying, “Anything you can do, I can do better.”

This was Djokovic’s 34th grand slam semifinal and he’s now won his last 10. Pouille, a 24-year-old Frenchman coached by former women’s No 1 Amelie Mauresmo, was making his debut at this stage.

The wide gulf in experience and accomplishments showed on a cloudy, breezy evening as Djokovic improved to 7-0 in semifinals at Melbourne Park.

He is also unbeaten so far in finals, sharing the men’s mark of six Australian Open championships with Roy Emerson and Federer.