Bastad, July 13: Mariano Zabaleta and Nicolas Lapentti knocked off the top two seeded players Saturday to reach the final at the clay-court Swedish Open.
Zabaleta beat defending champion and No. 1-seeded Carlos Moya 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, while Lapentti topped No. 2 Tommy Robredo 6-4, 6-2.
It was Robredo's second match of the day. First he had to finish a 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Filippo Volandri in a match suspended at 1-1 in the opening set Friday because of rain.
"It was an advantage for me, him having played a match in the morning,'' said Lapentti, who'll play his first final of the year Sunday. "But I've played better and better in this tournament.''


Bureau Report