Nadal rallies to beat Berdych in straight sets and reach Indian Wells final

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Rafael Nadal rallied to beat Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday and reach his fourth ATP Tour final in as many events.

Off to the best start of his career, Nadal improved to 16-1 — including 13 wins in a row — on the year, having won two clay-court titles and been runner-up in another since returning from a left knee injury that idled him for seven months.

It was Nadal's 12th straight win over Berdych, including seven consecutive on hard courts. Nadal will be seeking his third Indian Wells title in Sunday's final, where he'll play either top-ranked Novak Djokovic or No. 7 seed Juan Martin del Potro, who met in the other semi.