Top-seeded David Ferrer justified numero uno status by beating Ernests Gulbis to reach the final of the Stockholm Open, where he is scheduled to face Grigor Dimitrov.
Ranked third in the world, Ferrer took three sets to dispatch the mercurian Latvian to give himself a chance of winning his first ATP trophy since February. The Spaniard required two hours to beat fifth-seeded Gulbis 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The number two Spaniard was coming into this tournament with an eye to improve his form for the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Ferrer’s form in recent weeks has come under scrutiny as he fell in the quarter-final in Beijing to Richard Gasquet and then bowed out early in the following week to Mayer in the third round of Shanghai Masters.
His final opponent, Dimitrov, who started the season on a bright note, came into this tournament on a four-match losing streak. He earlier overcame wildcard Benoit Paire in three sets to book his spot in the final.