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PARIS - Argentine David Nalbandian extended his brilliant run of form by crushing local favourite Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4 yesterday to set up a Paris Masters tennis final against world number two Rafael Nadal.
The unseeded Nalbandian, who upset world number one Roger Federer in the Madrid Masters final two weeks ago and again in the third round here, needed just over an hour to take his record against the Frenchman to a perfect 5-0.
Gasquet, seeded 10th, will have to be content with completing the season-ending Masters Cup field after his only rival for the last spot, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, dropped out of the race with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeat by Nadal in the other semifinal.
Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up, was in control from the opening game and showed signs of nerves only towards the end when he served for the match, leading 5-2, and was broken for the first time.
Two games later, however, he earned his first match point and converted it with a service winner.
Nadal, appearing at the indoor event for the first time, is trying to become the second player to win the Paris Masters and the French Open, after Andre Agassi.
Baghdatis, featuring in the last four of a Masters Series event for the first time, had needed to win the title to stand a chance of making the November 11-18 Masters Cup in Shanghai featuring the world's top eight.
The 2006 Australian Open runner-up mounted a spirited challenge, opening up a 6-4, 2-0 lead but Nadal came back to keep his unbeaten run in Paris.
"Marcos played really well but I managed to find the solution by being more aggressive and showing more initiative," Nadal said.
"I love this city, and not only because I keep winning here," he added. "It's the nicest place in the world after Mallorca."
Baghdatis, who has been based in France for eight years, was cheered on throughout by the 15,000 crowd packing the Bercy hall.
- Reuters
