Tokyo : Top-seeded Rafael Nadal powered past Mardy Fish in the second set to beat the American 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday and advance to the final of the Japan Open.
The match was on serve until the 11th game in the opening set, when Nadal broke and then served out to love at Ariake Colosseum.
The first set was marked my several long rallies, but as the match progressed the Spaniard took control and imposed his will with a combination of crisp ground strokes and a strong serve.
Nadal, the defending champion, won 85 percent of his second serve points in the match which lasted 1 hour, 35 minutes. He broke Fish in the first and third games of the second set and held serve throughout. He concluded the match with another break which included a scintillating shot.
Nadal ran down a crosscourt shot from Fish and then whipped a sublime winner down the line that curled just inside to paint to reach match point. The contest ended on the next point on an unforced error by Fish, who hit a smash into the net.
The 10-time Grand Slam champion will face the winner of Saturday's second semifinal between second Andy Murray of Britain and third seed David Ferrer of Spain.
Nadal and Fish had met seven times prior to Saturday's match with Nadal holding a 6-1 advantage. Fish won their previous meeting in the quarterfinals at Cincinnati earlier this year where he beat Nadal in straight sets. Murray and Ferrer have split their six career matches.AP
