Top seeds Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and Fernando Verdasco of Spain were semifinal winners Saturday and will play for the title at the Malaysian Open.
The top four seeds all reached the semis and the top two advanced Saturday, as the top-seeded Davydenko rallied from a set down to post a 1-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 victory over third-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden and the second-seeded Verdasco notched a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over fourth-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Davydenko will try for his third ATP singles crown of 2009, having won previously in Hamburg and Croatia. He is 16-5 all-time in ATP finals.
Soderling had recently dominated Davydenko, winning the last four matches. Included were wins this year at the French Open and U.S. Open. Davydenko appeared on his way to another loss after dropping Saturday's first set, but he was able to battle back and win the tiebreak in the second before rolling through the third.
It marked Davydenko's first win over Soderling since August of 2006 in New Haven.
Next up for the eighth-ranked Davydenko will be the ninth-ranked Verdasco. The Russian has won five of the six lifetime encounters, including a straight-set victory in the fourth round of the French Open earlier this year.
Verdasco will be gunning for his fourth career title and second this year. He won the U.S. Open tuneup in New Haven and was also a finalist at his first event of the year in Brisbane, losing to Radek Stepanek.
The 25-year-old Spaniard has won 12 of his last 13 matches, with the lone setback a quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows. He has not dropped a set this week.
Sunday's winner will collect $154,000.
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