MONACO(AP) Novak Djokovic reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time, rallying from a set down to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday.
The Serb, a French Open semifinalist the past two years, raised his game at the start of the third set. Wawrinka made too many unforced errors while going for winners on the clay surface.
Trailing 2-0 in the third set, Djokovic won the next four games. He closed out the match on his third match point with a forehand winner into the corner.
Djokovic will play the winner of the semifinal between four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal and the fourth-seeded Andy Murray.
Djokovic set up match point when he returned Wawrinka's angled shot to the baseline with a stunning backhand down the line, prompting a triumphant roar.
Wawrinka has lost six of eight meetings with Djokovic, including the last five. He lost to him at the Rome Masters final last year on clay, and recently on the hard courts at Indian Wells, Calif.
Djokovic looked shaky in the first set, making only 43 percent of his first serves. Wawrinka broke him in the ninth game when Djokovic sliced a return into the net and held serve to take the first set.
But Djokovic raised his game in the second set, making only five unforced errors and pinning Wawrinka back with his booming forehands. He evened the match with a deep forehand that Wawrinka could only slice into the net.