Blake, advance to Bangkok final

BANGKOK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- American James Blake will play Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia in Sunday's final at the Thailand Open Tennis Tournament in Bangkok. In Saturday's semifinals, Blake, the third seed, beat unseeded Marat Safin of Russia, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), while Ljubicic, the top seed, topped No. 8 seed and local favorite Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-3, 6-2. Ljubicic, who has two titles in 2006 and five in his career, is 4-0 all-time against Blake. The two met earlier this year at the ATP World Team Championship in Germany, with Ljubicic rallying for a three-set win. The winner will pocket a first prize check of $76,500.