Novak Djokovic beat John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1 on Saturday to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open, where he’ll resume his longtime rivalry with Roger Federer."It’s always tense. It’s always emotional. It’s always close,” Djokovic said of the looming match up. “I look forward to it.”
Federer had a much easier time in the semifinals, beating Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-1 and putting himself in position to win a fifth career title at Indian Wells. Djokovicis a two-time winner here.
Federer leads their rivalry 17-15, having beaten Djokovic two weeks ago in the semifinals at Dubai. Before that, Djokovic had won three straight times over the Swiss star.
Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska will play Flavia Pennetta in the women’s final Sunday before the men’s title is decided.
Djokovic struggled with the big-serving Isner, who beat him here in the semis two years ago before losing to Federer in the final.
“With that serve, obviously, he can win against anybody on a good day,” Djokovic said. “I thought I returned really well today and allowed myself to have a bunch of opportunities on his service games.” Federer never faced a break point on his serve while breaking Dolgopolov four times, including a seven-deuce game to go up 4-1 in the second set. Dolgopolov had a chance to win that game four times, but each time his unforced error brought it back to deuce.
Federer is aiming to make Indian Wells his second title of the year. He’s coming off a victory two weeks ago at Dubai, and has a 19-2 match record this year. He won titles here from 2004-06 and again in 2012.