Nadal ends Baghdatis' run; Gasquet loses but reaches Masters Cup

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in Saturday's opening semifinal match at the Paris Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal earned a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach the final, where he will play Argentina's David Nalbandian, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over 10th- seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the day's second semifinal.
Not only did Nadal eliminate Baghdatis, but he also ended the Cypriot's run toward a possible berth in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. Baghdatis needed to win this tournament and not have Gasquet reach the final to qualify for the elite eight-man tournament that starts November 11 in Shanghai.
Instead, Gasquet completed the field before even taking the court Saturday.
Baghdatis' setback turned out to be good for Gasquet, as Nalbandian needed just 68 minutes to move into his second straight Masters final. He beat Roger Federer for the Madrid Masters title last month, also toppling Nadal in the quarterfinals on his way to that crown.
Gasquet will be joined in the lucrative season-finale by Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer and Fernando Gonzalez.
Nadal, meanwhile, is in position to claim his seventh title of 2007 and the 24th of his brilliant young career. The 21-year-old Spaniard has also won at Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros and Stuttgart this year.
Sunday will mark his first final since capturing the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. He had lost in the semifinals at the Montreal Masters, the second round of the Cincinnati Masters, the fourth round of the U.S. Open and, most recently, the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters.
Nalbandian has become a giant killer of late.
After beating Nadal in the quarterfinals at Madrid, Nalbandian went on to knock off Djokovic in the semifinals and Federer in the title match. He became just the third player in ATP history to beat the world's top three players in the same event, joining the great Boris Becker, who did it in 1994, and Djokovic, who accomplished the feat at the Montreal Masters this year.
Nalbandian also beat Federer this week, eliminating the world's top-ranked player in the third round on Thursday.
The Madrid crown marked Nalbandian's only title of 2007 and the sixth of his career.
He is 1-0 lifetime against Nadal, with the 6-1, 6-2 rout of the Spanish lefty in Madrid the only previous meeting.
Sunday's winner will claim a first prize of $491,412, while the runner-up will pocket $245,706.