Sergio Perez/Reuters
MADRID — Novak Djokovic got the win he needed to boost his confidence on clay.
He defeated an in-form Dominic Thiem, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), on Saturday to reach the Madrid Open final for the third time, while Kiki Bertens beat the two-time Madrid champion Simona Halep, 6-4, 6-4, to take the women’s title.
“Dominic is one of the best tennis players in the world at this moment, especially on this surface, so this was a very big win for me,” the top-ranked Djokovic said.
The fifth-seeded Thiem, who beat Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, had won two straight against Djokovic and was trying to make his third straight Madrid final after losses to Rafael Nadal in 2017 and Alexander Zverev in 2018.