Andreas Seppi, on the other hand, reached the last four without having to play
Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates his win in the semifinal match against Andreas Seppi of Italy at the ATP tennis tournament in Hamburg. (Photo: AP)
Hamburg (Germany): Top-seeded Rafael Nadal dismissed Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2 to set up a Hamburg Open final against Fabio Fognoni. The fourth-seeded Fogoni beat qualifier Lucas Pouille 6-2, 7-6 (3) after saving a set point in the second set.
Nadal is looking to extend his streak of having won at least one European clay court title every year since 2004. The former No.1 has dropped to 10th in the rankings and is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon. He won in Hamburg in 2008, the last time he played in the clay-court event.
Nadal served a double-fault at match point in the seventh game before breaking serve in the next to win. He holds a 4-2 career edge over Fognini, the 2013 Hamburg champion.
Earlier, Nadal had advanced to the semifinals by beating fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. Andreas Seppi, on the other hand, reached the last four without having to play. His opponent, Simone Bolleli, withdrew with a stomach ailment.
( Source : AP )
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