Nadal Beats Lopez To Reach Final

Saturday, July 21st 2007, 2:26 pm

By: News On 6

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -- Top-seeded Rafael Nadal beat Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 7-5 Saturday to reach the final of the Mercedes Cup. Nadal will face Stanislas Wawrinka, who upset seventh-seed Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-1.

Lopez almost took the second set of against Nadal, which would have been the first the French Open champion lost in the tournament. Nadal has won 92 of his past 93 matches on clay.

Nadal and Lopez, both Spaniards, are best friends on the ATP Tour and regularly practice together.

"To lose always hurts, but when you know you lost to the best player on clay and one of your closest friends, it is a little easier," Lopez said. "But it would have been a miracle if I had beaten him."

The 84th-ranked Lopez defeated 10th-ranked Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-3 in the second round.