Ferrer reaches Rome final

Rome - David Ferrer beat a sluggish Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the first Masters Series final of his career on Saturday.

Verdasco jumped out to a 5-1 lead over his fellow Spaniard at the Rome Masters but then lost six straight games to hand Ferrer the set and control of the match.

Verdasco appeared worn out from his marathon-like quarterfinal victory over Novak Djokovic a day earlier _ a match that lasted 3 hours, 18 minutes.

In Sunday's final, the 13th-seeded Ferrer will face either four-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or 40th-ranked Ernests Gulbis, who were up next inside the new 10,500-seat stadium at the Foro Italico.