MADRID: Rafael Nadal overcame the distress of Seve Ballesteros' death to beat Roger Federer 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 Saturday to reach his third straight Madrid Open final, where the surging Novak Djokovic awaits after rallying to beat unseeded Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Nadal maintained his clay dominance over Federer after an emotional start that saw the Spanish player shedding tears during an homage for golf great Ballesteros, who died earlier Saturday. Nadal controlled the early stages before uncharacteristic errors allowed the third-ranked Swiss player back into the game to take the first set. But the defending champion took control after that as he converted four break points over the next two sets to win his 37th straight match on clay and extend his record to 11-2 against Federer on the surface. Nadal will try for his first title in three attempts against Djokovic in 2011 after the second-ranked Serb extended his perfect start to the season to 31 matches, equaling Bjorn Borg's streak in 1980 and behind only John McEnroe's 42 straight victories in 1984. Djokovic has won five titles on the current run – including the Australian Open – and is 33-0 stretching to last year's Davis Cup win to pass Nadal in holding the eighth longest streak. The big-hitting Brazilian overwhelmed Djokovic early on before the Serb showed more verve and better shot placement to ensure the top two seeded players will meet in Sunday's final. Earlier, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus ended German Julia Goerges' 10-match winning streak 6-4, 6-2 to set up the women's final against Petra Kvitova, who ousted sixth-seeded Li Na of China 6-3, 6-1. Azarenka – who ensured she moves up one spot to a career-best No. 4 in the rankings by reaching the final – and Czech player Kvitova will both be chasing their third titles of the year at the Caja Magica. Nadal was visibly upset when he watched a video screen showing highlights of Ballesteros' career, as was former tennis great Manolo Santana, who watched from the stands. The 54-year-old Ballesteros died early Saturday after a two-year-plus battle against brain cancer.
