Publications
Partners
Tokyo - Rafael Nadal survived his by far toughest test of the week Saturday to salvage his Japan Open debut with a fighting 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) win over Viktor Troicki for a place in the final.
Waiting in the Sunday title match will be on-form Frenchman Gael Monfils, who ended the week's run of luck for Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6- 3.
Czech veteran Stepanek had benefited from circumstances this week, winning a tight first match and going through as his last two opponents quit injured and failed to play due to illness, respectively.
But Monfils made sure lady luck stopped smiling on the 31-year-old Stepanek, a Tokyo quarter-finalist five years ago.
"I'm pleased to reach this final," said Monfils, beaten in the 2009 semis by compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. "I returned well and played with consistency. I also had some luck.
"I'm very motivated, the final will be tough but I'll take every opportunity that I get."
Nadal managed to pass the Troicki test, with the Serb throwing down 26 aces and forcing his Spanish opponent to save two match points in the deciding tiebreaker.
Nadal's close win was his 65th of a season in which he is seeking a seventh title after winning three of the four Grand Slams since early June.
"I played well in the first set, but I lost concentration after that," said Nadal, who unexpectedly lost a week ago in a Bangkok semi-final against unheralded compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
"During a long season it's easy to lose concentration, it happened to me. I still have work to do here, but I can think of only the next match coming up. To win this title would of course be good for my confidence."
The Spanish top seed produced 18 aces of his own in the effort under the closed roof of the Ariake colosseum on a rainy day.
Nadal won the first set, taking more than three-quarters of an hour, but then found himself level as the 54th-ranked Troicki played out of his depth in challenging the world number one by taking the second.
The Serb made a recovery from 5-3 down in the third set, breaking Nadal as the Spaniard served for the win and eventually forcing the second tiebreak of the afternoon.
Nadal nosed ahead 5-3 in that encounter but was again hauled in by the Serb whose best 2010 effort has been three semi-finals and who has never won an ATP title.
Troicki got to level-pegging at 5-all in the decider, then was unable to convert on his pair of match points thanks to Nadal's defensive effort. When the Spaniard took his chance, he converted to escape the winner and polish his record to 4-0 in the series.
Nadal leads Monfils 6-1, his only loss coming in Doha last year on hardcourt.
