3 Apr 2011

Nadal vs Djokovic after Federer wilts in Miami

7:12 am on 3 April 2011

Rafa Nadal's easily beaten arch-rival Roger Federer in straight sets to make the final of the Miami tennis Masters, where the Spanish world number one will face the in-form Serb Novak Djokovic.

Nadal took just an hour and 18 minutes to thump former number one Federer, 6-3 6-2, to increase his head-to-head record over the Swiss great to 15-8.

Djokovic extended his his amazing winning run to 23 matches this year, the world number two eliminating top American Mardy Fish, also in straight sets, 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 26 minutes.

The victory ensures the final of the Masters 1000 event will include two of the world's top three players for the first time, Nadal and Djokovic reprising their contest in the Indian Wells final less than a fortnight ago, when Djokovic triumphed to claim his third title of the year.

Djokovic is looking to become the first ATP World Tour player to pull off the Indian Wells-Miami double since Federer in 2006. Federer also did it in 2005.

In 30 years, only two players have made a better start to a season: American John McEnroe with 39 victories in 1984 and former Czechoslovakian Ivan Lendl with 25 in 1986.