ROUNDUP: Ferrer places second straight Spaniard into Dubai final

Ferrer places second straight Spaniard into Dubai finalDubai  - Top seed Novak Djokovic will struggle for supremacy as he takes a 3-3 record into his Saturday Barclays Championships final against on-fire Spaniard David Ferrer.

Djokovic rallied in the third set to storm to his first final of the season 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 over Gilles Simon.

Ferrer crushed another Frenchman on the day, hammering Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2 and finally moving into a tittle match after already coming up short twice this season in Adelaide and Johannesburg.

He is the second Spaniard in succession to play for the trophy at the Aviation club after Feliciano Lopez lost to Andy Roddick in 2008.

Ferrer has won his last four matches in straight sets and allowed Gasquet no hope on their one-way encounter.

"I'm very pleased to finally get to a final," said Ferrer, who saved all six break points he faced. "I played very well and put him under pressure. This is a special final and a very important one for me."

Djokovic, who played a day match for the first time this week in his semi-final, beat Ferrer in their last meeting in January at the Australian Open.

Serbia's 2008 Australian Open champion has improved his career showing at Dubai by one round in each of his three appearances, staring with a 2007 quarter-final and a semi-final defeat last year against Roger Federer.

He came from a break down at the start of the third set against Simon.

"You have to work for luck, it doesn't just fall through the sky," said the top seed, "I had to fight my way through in the match, I really believed till the end.

"Mentally, this is a very important win for me.

"If I want to stay (among) the top of the men's game, I have to win these matches, because Simon is certainly one of the best players in the world.

"Simon plays a very unique game, is very solid from all sides, and plays with few unforced errors.

The world number 3 lifted to 13-4 on the season as he edged ahead 2-1 in his series with Simon.

Djokovic is aiming for the 18th title of his career.

The 21-year-old Serb put constant pressure on Simon in the contest lasting two hours, 44 minutes in temperatures which peaked at 38 Celsius in the heat of the afternoon.

The Frenchman had little optimism after his performance.

"I'm just playing very bad, even when I have opportunities, I'm not able to do anything with them," said Simon.

"I had several chance to break him in the second set, the third set, but every time, I did a mistake and gave him the point.

"I had enough chances to win this match, and I lost it."

Simon, eighth in the world and a winner of three of his five career titles in 2008, saved nine of a dozen break points he faced while Djokovic lost two serves and saved the only other break point he faced. (dpa)

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