10 January,2009 11:52 AM IST | | AFP
Spain's Fernando Verdasco will meet Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the final of the Brisbane International after contrasting victories over French opponents today.
Verdasco crushed Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 6-1 in 75 minutes in the first semi-final before Stepanek outlasted Richard Gasquet 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours 12 minutes in the second.
Verdasco played almost faultless tennis as he blasted his way past Mathieu, the World No 32.
The second seeded Davis Cup winner dominated his French opponent in every department as he raced through the match.
He broke Mathieu three times in the first set and twice in the second as he showed the form that took him to World No 16 at the end of 2008.
Mathieu had been in great form leading up the semi-finals, not dropping a set in the previous rounds.
But he had no answer to Verdasco's booming ground strokes and looked a disconsolate figure at the end of the match.
Gasquet appeared certain to become the only Frenchman out of seven who started the tournament to reach the final when he raced away with the first set of his semi-final against Stepanek.
He broke Stepanek twice in the opening set and was playing as well as he did when he upset countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in yesterda's quarter-finals.
However, Gasquet appeared to tire as the match went on and the 30-year-old Stepanek came back into the contest.
He broke in the fifth and seventh games of the second set to level the match - his athleticism proving too much for Gasquet to handle.
The two players traded service breaks early in the third set, with games staying on service until the ninth when Stepanek took advantage of some poor serving to make a crucial break.
He then comfortably served it out to reach his eighth ATP final and his first since San Jose in February 2008.
