Andy Murray to face Novak Djokovic in Montreal Masters final
Monday 17 August 2015 06:47, UK
Andy Murray swept aside Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-0 to reach the final of the Montreal Masters where he will meet old foe Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
Murray, who will move up to second in the world rankings on Monday courtesy of reaching the final, took advantage of an injury to his fourth-seeded opponent to progress.
There were five breaks of serve in the opening set as both players struggled to hold serve, but the British No 1 took advantage in the eighth game before serving it out.
The red-hot Nishikori came into the semi-final clash riding a wave from his hard-court title last week in Washington and victory over Rafa Nadal in the last eight.
And many expected Murray to have a long drawn out contest with Nishikori, but that never materialised as the world No 4 wilted after an early flourish.
His lack of movement became apparent in the second set and the 2009 and 2010 champion Murray took advantage to break three times to seal victory in just 65 minutes.
"It's nice to be back (at No 2)," said Murray. "It's not easy now playing against some the greatest players ever to play the game."
At first, it looked like the semi-final would match expectations, with both players breaking the other inside the first five games, but once the Scot went 4-2 ahead, there was only going to be one winner.
Murray went on to seal the first set 6-3 and then he blitzed Nishikori off the court 6-0 in the second to set up the clash with Djokovic, who has beaten him on each of their last eight meetings.
"I think I'm more tired," the Japanese fourth seed said. "Everything was sore these couple of days. Today it got a little bit worst so I couldn't really move 100 per cent.
"Especially after the first set, I was feeling it more and more. At the beginning of the first set I was okay, but after that I wasn't the same player."
The world No 1 needed just 37 minutes to wrap up the opening set and he went on to seal the match in an hour and 20 minutes, despite needing treatment to his forearm during a changeover.
Djokovic holds a 19-8 record against Murray, winning the last eight meetings with the Scot, including the Australian Open final this year.
You can tune into the conclusion to the Montreal Masters on Sky Sports.
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