Tsonga's injury sends Djokovic to final

MONTREAL: Top seed Novak Djokovic broke the spirit of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with a 6-4, 3-0 victory at the ATP Montreal Masters on Saturday night as the Frenchman quit after 59 minutes with a sore right arm.

Djokovic, one step closer to lifting his ninth title in 2011, will fight for the trophy on Sunday against American Mardy Fish.

Fish is now within a win of his second hardcourt title of the summer after beating Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4 in the other semi.

"I'm raising my level with each match," Djokovic said. "Becoming number one has been my goal all my life. Now I've achieved my dream. I have no reason to be afraid of what is coming next. Everything is a new experience and a challenge."

Down a set and 0-3 in the second, Tsonga called for the trainer to treat an arm worn out by a string of heavy matches this week including a win over Roger Federer. He gave up moments later.

Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, has now won 52 of 53 matches this season in a run of form which has taken the 24-year-old to the top ranking position.

Tsonga was clearly frustrated by superb play from his opponent, who took over number one after Wimbledon and is playing this week for the first time on the top position.

Djokovic is trying to become the first player to win five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in a season.

Sixth seed Fish, who won Atlanta in July and then played the final in Los Angeles a week later while suffering with a heel injury, has lost all six of his matches against Djokovic.
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Fish was the third different American since 2000 to reach the semi-finals in Canada, joining Roddick and Andre Agassi, both former champions.

Roddick, a 2009 semi-finalist, is the last player from south of the border to win a Canadian event, taking the title in 2003 while Fish has become the first American finalist since Agassi six years ago.

He made the final in just 76 minutes with six aces and three breaks of serve for his 33rd victory of the season against 15 losses.