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Love -- Novak Djokovic advanced to the finals in Dubai courtesy a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Tomas Berdych. He'll face Roger Federer, who won his semifinal in easier fashion, cruising in straight sets against Richard Gasquet.
This is the first tournament for both men since the Australian Open. Djokovic, of course, defeated Federer in the semifinals in Melbourne and would go on to win the event.
15 -- Saturday's will be the seventh meeting for the pair in the past seven months. (To put that into perspective, Federer and Rafael Nadal have met seven times in the past three years.) Federer is 4-2 in the recent matches against Djokovic, though in this case two is greater than four, as Nole's wins came in Grand Slams.
30 -- Djokovic is seeking his third consecutive title in Dubai. He's on a 13-match winning streak overall, but said his win over Berdych was a "catastrophe" and his worst match of the year. Sometimes the truest test of greatness isn't how you perform when you're on, but how you survive when you aren't. To come back against a worthy opponent like Berdych is yet another sign that Djokovic has elevated his game to a different plane.
40 -- Though Federer is only 85 rankings points ahead of Djokovic (out of 8,700), it doesn't look like Nole can move up to No. 2, even with a win, thanks to the fact that Djokovic is defending the full 500 points and Federer has some empty slots in his "other tournaments" category. (I'm not 100 percent certain on this.)
Game -- The Tennis Channel will carry the Dubai finals live, beginning Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
Leslie Bega Maria Sharapova Lindsay Price Zoe Saldana Rachel Perry
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