By Chris oddo

(August 18, 2012)—Novak Djokovic saved all six break points he faced against Juan Martin del Potro en route to a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory in the Western and Southern Open semifinals on Saturday.

In a Masters semifinal that was billed as an Olympic rematch, Djokovic denied harboring any desire for revenge, saying “I don’t like the word revenge,” when prompted in a post-match interview with ESPN’s Chris Fowler.

Still, the World No. 2 couldn’t help playing like a man possessed.

Djokovic’s remarkable ability to save break points on the hard-court is quickly becoming the stuff of legend. The Serb has saved 60 of the last 66 break points he has faced on the surface, and today he played patient, punishing points to keep the Del Potro’s return game at bay.

In the third game of the first set, Djokovic found himself down 15-40 before painting the line with a scorched down-the-line backhand then forcing an error with a heavy forehand to get to deuce. Del Potro, ever the pugilist, would earn two more break points in the game but each time Djokovic elevated his concentration to avert the crisis.

“When you’re break balls down, and when you have a break point, you try to concentrate even more,” said Djokovic.

But the sixth-seed had some magic of his own going early.

Del Potro rescued himself from 0-40 in the very next game by smashing a few big serves and winning one very long rally at 15-40.

But the mental stress of the early going finally proved to be too much for Del Potro in the sixth game when he double-faulted to hand Djokovic a 4-2 lead.

After Djokovic held for 5-2, physical stress became a factor too. Del Potro sought the attention of medical staff to have a look at his ailing left wrist. The Argentine, who had surgery to repair his right wrist in 2010, has been bothered by the wrist all week and plans to see a specialist next week. He seemed to favor the wrist at times throughout the match, but elected to play on.

In the second set, Djokovic took an early lead when Del Potro missed on a backhand on break point in the third game.

Djokovic, meanwhile, continued to shrink the court with superb defense, uncanny footwork on the hard-court, and an imperviousness to pressure that is becoming his trademark.

The Serb, who is bidding to become only the fourth player to win Canada and Cincinnati back-to-back since 1990 (Agassi, Rafter, Roddick), saved two more break points at 3-2 to dampen Del Potro’s spirits even further.

Del Potro would get to deuce with Djokovic serving for the match, but by that time it was academic, with Djokovic holding a two-break lead.

The five-time Grand Slam champion will play Roger Federer in the final.

Federer Continues Mastery of Wawrinka

Roger Federer survived a shaky first set to remain undefeated on hard courts against his compatriot Stan Wawrinka on Saturday with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory that lasted one hour and thirty-five minutes.

The victory ensures that Federer will retain his No. 1 ranking at the start of the US Open, and it also enables Federer to play for a shot at becoming the first five-time Cincinnati winner in the Open Era (Mats Wilander has four titles in Cincinnati).

After failing to convert on all seven of his break point opportunities in the first set, Federer finally found his range in the tiebreaker to grab the lead. In five career tiebreakers against Wawrinka, Federer has never lost one.

Federer made a dazzling shoestring volley to move ahead 5-3 in the tiebreaker, and never looked back, winning 7-4.

In the second set, Wawrinka had a chance to take an early 2-0 lead but Federer nailed an overhead smash that was too hot to handle for the World No. 26. Sensing his eventual doom, Wawrinka let out a frustrated scream after the point.

Wawrinka gathered himself enough to remain even at 3-3, but Federer broke Wawrinka to lead 4-3 and won the final two games to end all hopes of a last-ditch Wawrinka fightback.

The win is Federer's 11th against his former Olympic doubles partner in 12 career matches. He has won 25 of 28 sets against Wawrinka as well.

Federer will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. Federer defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the 2009 Cincinnati final, and holds a 15-12 career edge over the World No. 2.

(Photo Credit: AP)