World No.1 Novak Djokovic earned his 1,000th tour-level victory by beating Casper Ruud 6-4 6-3 on Saturday to reach the Italian Open final.

Djokovic will face Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the title clash on Sunday, with the Serbian playing in the final in Rome for the fourth straight time and 12th overall. 

It will be a repeat of last year's French Open final, which Djokovic won after fighting back from two sets down.

"He's definitely in form... I can expect a big battle, but I'm ready for it," said Djokovic, referring to his final against 23-year-old Tsitsipas.

The 34-year-old Serb is only the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 1,000 wins milestone after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rafa Nadal. 

"I've seen Roger and Rafa celebrate those milestones in the last couple years. I was looking forward to get to that thousand myself," Djokovic said.

"Let's go for another thousand."

Djokovic is chasing a sixth title at the Foro Italico ahead of Roland Garros later this month. He has already secured a record-extending 370th week as world number one thanks to his straight sets victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday.

Earlier, world No. 5 Tsitsipas reached the Rome final for the first time after the Greek rallied to defeat Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-3 6-3. Zverev is yet to win a title this season.

Tsitsipas, who will rise to fourth in the ATP rankings next week, will be bidding for his third Masters 1000 title on Sunday. 

(With input from agencies)