Novak Djokovic defeated Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 here in the US Open semi-finals to reach his first Grand Slam final at the age of 20.
The win sent the Serb into tomorrow's final against either defending champion Roger Federer or Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davidenko, who followed him onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court for the second semi-final.
Djokovic, the revelation of the year, started slowly against the tenacious Ferrer, and struggled at times with the heat and humidity, but he always had too much pace and power for the the defence-minded Spaniard.
He is the youngest finalist in New York since Pete Sampras won the title in 1990 and the first Serb male to reach a final in one of the four majors.
'I started really nervous. I had played a lot of difficult matches and I didn't have a lot of energy. And he is a tough competitor,' he said.
'I will try to recover as much as I can and rest. I am going to watch my opponents play. It will be an amazing experience for my first Grand Slam final.
'It's a great achievement for me and for my country.'
The 25-year-old Ferrer, who upset second-seeded compatriot Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, opened the stronger to take a 3-0 edge and then a 4-1 lead.
But Djokovic found his range with a vengeance, winning 12 straight points to level at 4-4. He then broke Ferrer's serve again and held serve to lift the first set in 33 minutes.
It was one-way traffic as Djokovic captured Ferrer's serve to open the second set and he made it seven games in a row to go 2-0 up despite some brave resistance from the 15th-seeded Spaniard.
Ferrer finally stopped the rot by holding his own serve and his hopes revived as Djokovic needed medical treatment at the changeover, complaining of suffering from a headache brought on by the heat and humidity.
The Serb promptly dropped his serve in the following game as Ferrer levelled at 2-2.
Djokovic, who abandoned in the Wimbledon semi-final against Nadal due to injury, looked in discomfort, but still managed to steady the ship by breaking the Ferrer serve in a lengthy seventh game to take a 4-3 lead.
He held on to his next two serves to take a 2-0 lead and then pounded Ferrer into submission at the start of the third.
Djokovic grabbed the vital break he needed in the third game and although he needed further medical aid at the next changeover, the Serb comfortably pushed home his advantage against an increasingly outgunned Ferrer.
