Tsonga to play Djokovic for Beijing title

BEIJING, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic had little trouble Saturday in winning a spot in the finals of the China Open where he'll meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Djokovic, No. 2 in the world handled Florian Mayer 6-1, 6-4 in an hour. He won nearly three-quarters of the points on serve and saved both break chances Mayer managed.

He raced through the first set, dropping just 13 points. The second set was more even but Djokovic recorded the only break of the set and advanced to Sunday's final.

Tsonga was on the court only 42 minutes, fashioning a 6-1, 4-1 lead when Feliciano Lopez, a left-hander, retired with a left wrist injury. Tsonga had seven aces and lost three points in his six games serving. He even won all eight of the points off his second serve.

Djokovic had a 7-5 series edge over Tsonga. He has won the last three times they played, including a five-set battle in the quarterfinals of the 2012 French Open.

Djokovic is 31-19 in ATP title matches, although he's 1-5 in his last six finals. Still, he's looking for his fourth championship of 2012.

Tsonga is 9-5 in championship matches. That includes wins in Qatar and Metz, France, in his two title matches in 2012.