ROTTERDAM, Netherlands – Third-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 6-2 Saturday to reach the final of the ABN Amro tournament.
Berdych's play was more consistent, especially on his serves, though Gulbis was often better — if unpredictable — in the rallies.
In the first set, Berdych won a 15-shot rally to set up a single breakpoint, which he also won. The pair exchanged words after Gulbis issued a late challenge as to whether Berdych's return was in.
Gulbis failed to capitalize on the one breakpoint he had in the match, during the fourth game of the second set. Afterward the Latvian appeared to lose concentration, failing to win a single point in his following service game.
Later Friday, Dutch wildcard Igor Sijsling plays Marin Cilic of Croatia in the other semifinal.
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