PORTSCHACH, Austria, May 26 (UPI) -- Nikolay Davydenko and Andrei Pavel advanced Friday to the final of the Hypo Group Tennis Tournament in Austria.
Davydenko, the top seed and defending champion, beat unseeded Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-2. The 32-year-old Pavel moved up in a walkover against seventh-seeded Luis Horna of Peru, who was unable to play Friday because of a back ailment.
"I'm glad that this match only lasted for (1 hour, 8 minutes)," Davydenko said. "My goal is always to be on the court as short a time as possible, which I did manage today."
Pavel, who trails Davydenko, 2-1 in past matches, will be playing in a final for the eighth time in his career. He has not won a tournament since 2001.
Davydenko, who also won this event in 2003, raised his match record for the year to 30-14.
The winner of Saturday's championship match will pocket $44,100.
