Nadal, Monfils to meet in Japan Open final

TOKYO, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- World No. 1 Rafael Nadal was pushed to three sets Saturday but still advanced to the title match of the Japan Open where he'll meet Gael Monfils.

Nadal was on the court more than 2 1/2 hours before he got past Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (9-7). Troicki managed three breaks on Nadal, including one when Nadal was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set.

But Nadal was able to fight off two match points in the tie-breaker, winning the final three points in improving to 65-8 on the year and earning his eighth finals appearance of the year. He'll be looking for his seventh title in 2010.

The fifth-seeded Monfils had a much easier time Saturday, taking just 70 minutes to defeat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-3. Monfils saved the only break point he faced while getting three breaks against Stepanek.

Monfils is looking for his third ATP championship -- Nadal has 42 -- and first since September 2009.

Nadal is 6-1 all-time versus Monfils, having won the three most recent matches. They'll be playing Sunday for a first-place check for $261,500 with the runner-up taking $121,600. Troicki and Stepanek each collected $57,800 after their semifinals losses.