Djokovic knocks Federer out of Rome semis
Switzerland's Roger Federer has lost his semifinal match in the ATP Masters in Rome against defending champion Novak Djokovic.
The match started as a closely fought battle between the two players, with Federer taking the first set.
He began well in the second but after rain stopped play, could not gain enough ground against his 21-year-old Serbian opponent, who won the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Federer served up six aces to Djokovic’s three, but failed to win as many break points.
Federer has not won a tournament since October and Djokovic is now closing in on his number two ATP ranking.
Djokovic faces Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the final.
Rome is seen as a key warm-up for this month’s French Open – the only Grand Slam title missing from Federer’s collection of 13 majors.
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