VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Top-seeded David Ferrer reached the Valencia Open final for a third time, beating Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 on Saturday.
Ferrer, the local favorite, awaits the other semifinal winner between Jurgen Melzer and Alexandr Dolgopolov.
After the fifth-ranked Ferrer controlled the opening set, Dodig saved two break points to force a second-set tiebreaker, where he converted a third set point by forcing the Spaniard into netting his volley.
Ferrer grabbed a 3-1 advantage in the decisive set after Dodig had a costly double fault to cede his serve. The Spaniard then hit a running approach shot to break Dodig again before serving out the win.
Ferrer has a chance on Sunday to add the tournament at the City of Arts and Sciences to his five titles this season.
