Rafael Nadal beats Tomas Berdych to reach Madrid Open final

MADRID (AP) Rafael Nadal has reached his seventh final at the Madrid Open by defeating Tomas Berdych 7-6 (3), 6-1.

Yet to drop a set this week, Nadal will face either 2008 champion Andy Murray or last year's finalist, Kei Nishikori, in the final on Sunday.

Nadal has won the last two Madrid Opens, and will attempt to win his fifth overall.

He found the lines against Berdych, who beat him in the Australian Open quarterfinals, down both lines with unerring accuracy, and forced Berdych to cover a lot of ground.

Nadal thanked the cheering fans, saying ''you don't know what this means to me.''

He said when he arrived in Madrid he hadn't been sure he would be able to advance past the first round, but that Saturday's match was the best he'd played all year.