Second-seeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt will take on Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the final of the 416,000-dollar ATP tournament here after a semi-final win over Marat Safin. Hewitt capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Russian third seed Safin to win the battle of the former world number ones 7-5, 6-1.
After the two traded breaks in the first two games of the opening set Hewitt inexorably gained the upper hand over his erratic foe, whose unforced errors spiralled late in the second set.
The victory gives Hewitt a chance to improve on his performance here last year, when he lost to American James Blake in the final. "I'm hoping to go one better this year, and I've given myself an opportunity to hold up the trophy," Hewitt said. "It will be a totally different match against Melzer in the final. He's an underrated player, who is tough on all surfaces."
He has won just two titles in the past two seasons, but now has the opportunity to extend his streak of winning at least one title a year for 10 consecutive seasons.
Safin's title drought goes one. The two-time Grand Slam champion hasn't won a title for more than two years, with his last success coming at the 2005 Australian Open, where he defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals and Hewitt in the final. Against Hewitt on Sunday, Melzer will be seeking his second ATP title.
He beat Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). The defeat spelled a definitive departure for Korolev, who endured a confusing period when he was first ruled to be in, then out, then in again as a quarter-finalist thanks to a misinterpretation of the round-robin rules.
The 19-year-old Russian had been announced as the winner of his round-robin group Thursday after Blake was undone thanks to a retirement by Juan Martin de Potro.
But ATP chairman and president Etienne de Villiers ruled later Thursday that Blake had been unfairly penalised by del Potro's retirement and the American should advance.