Verdasco to face Del Potro in Estoril final

Apr 30, 2011, 19:09 GMT

Estoril, Portugal - Spain's Fernando Verdasco and Argentine Juan Del Potro will play for the title at the Estoril Open Sunday as both attempt to repair their current careers. Del Potro is coming back form wrist surgery last year while Verdasco has dropped from the ranking Top 10 and is keen to re-enter the elite grouping.

Verdasco won a grudge semi-final match with Canadian sensation Milos Raonic, advancing 6-4 when the 27th-ranked youngster with after losing the set in 41 minutes with reported back pain.

Raonic gave no warning as he walked to the net and shook hands to signify his retirement after saving one set point before going down,

Verdasco had lost twice to the tennis hope of the season, in the San Jose final and a week later in a Memphis first-rounder. The irate Iberian had said he would love to get the Canadian onto a clay court to see what he could do.

Raonic will hope to be fit for play in Madrid at the Masters 1000 which begins on Sunday. The breakthrough player is competing on ATP clay for the first time in his career this spring.

Both Raonic and Verdasco had to win quarter-finals stretching over two days as poor weather came into the area on Friday and storms wreaking havoc with the tournament schedule.

Del Potro got through in time in his quarter-final, then defeated good friend Pablo Cuevas in a semi-final also interrupted by rain, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

The women's final at the joint ATP-WTA event was completed after a rain interruption, with Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues defeating German Kristina Barrois 6-1, 6-2.

Medina Garrigues pulled level with Venus Williams on nine career clay titles, the most among active players, with the Spaniard improving to 10-6 in overall finals.

Verdasco, seeded second and playing Estoril for the first time in eight years, had to come back after starting on Friday to earn his win as he beat seventh seed Kevin Anderson 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 6-3.

Number five Raonic needed two days to go past Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3, with the fourth seed saving two match points in the closing stages.

Raonic, ranked 27th, has now beaten nine top 30 opponents in his breakthrough year. He won with seven aces and five service breaks over two and a half hours on court.

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