MADRID — Rafael Nadal ended his seven-match winless streak against Novak Djokovic with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on Saturday to advance to the final of the Madrid Open.
Nadal overpowered Djokovic on the Madrid clay from the start, and converted on his third match point to earn his first victory against Djokovic since the 2014 French Open final.
It was the 14th straight victory for the fifth-ranked Nadal, and his tour-leading 33rd of the season.
In the final, Nadal, a four-time champion in Madrid, will play either Dominic Thiem of Austria or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who had a match scheduled for Saturday evening.