By DPA
New York : Roger Federer collected a perfect 10 as he pounded Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a Sunday final with Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
The Swiss number one came into the contest with a 9-0 career mark against the Russian fourth seed and proceeded to polish it even further Saturday in two hours, 21 minutes.
Federer won the last seven games of a roller-coaster third set featuring six straight breaks of serve, advancing into his 10th straight Grand Slam final.
“It was quite windy,” said Federer, who has not lost at the event since 2003.
“We know each other’s games well. In the third, he made it hard for me. I’m relieved to get through in three sets – who knows what could have happened in the fourth with such a great player like Nikolay,” he said.
Federer is bidding for a fourth straight title in New York, with the third-ranked Djokovic out to stop the march after becoming the first Serbian man to reach a Grand Slam final as he dominated David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
The 20-year-old winner came good on his third opportunity this season after stalling in the semis at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Djokovic owns a win over Federer from last month’s final in Montreal, an event where he beat both the Swiss and world number two Rafael Nadal.
“I’m looking forward to the final,” said Federer. “What a heck of a season Novak has had, making his first Grand Slam final. It will be a tense battle for both of us.”
Djokovic at age 20 become the youngest US Open finalist since Pete Sampras won the title in 1990. The Serbian nailed down the first two sets against Ferrer, then broke for 2-1 in the third before wrapping up victory with a concluding break on a winning chip volley.
“It’s going to be my first Grand Slam finals. It’s going to be an amazing experience in front of 23,000 people,” said Djokovic.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I hope I can recover and try to win it. I’m proud for myself but also for my country. I’m proud to represent Serbia.”
Federer had heavy sledding in the early going against Davydenko, dropping an early serve but levelling in the sixth game after the Russian salvaged four break points before losing serve, 3-3.
The challenger produced more heroics as he broke the Swiss while saving a set point in the ninth game to pull to 4-5 before holding for 5-all.
Federer rose to the occasion with an ace to seal 6-5 and a subsequent break to take the set, the first lost by Davydenko at this edition.
It became a Swiss avalanche in the second set as Federer reached 5-1.
Davydenko temporarily forced the issue with four more unsuccessful break points in the seventh game before Federer took command with his 14th forehand winner for a two-set lead.
The third became a break-fest, with six games in a row going against the server. Davydenko lost his serve again on the 23rd break point he faced as the Russian failed to serve out the set.
Federer stopped the rot in the 10th game to level for 5-5, saving a pair of Davydenko set points, which would have prolonged the afternoon.
He then took command of the tense encounter, breaking the Russian’s serve for the fourth time in the set on a Davydenko double-fault.
Federer remains undefeated in US Open semi-finals and winning 26 matches in a row at the event.
During his winning streak, the 11-time Grand Slam champion has lost just 10 sets and has only been extended to a fifth set once, against Andre Agassi in the 2004 quarterfinals.