Tennis: Ferrer overpowers Haas to book Miami final

Spain’s David Ferrer has ended the great run of Germany’s 35 year old tennis star, Tommy Haas, overpowering him in three sets to book the first final spot in the Sony Open in Miami Florida.

Haas, who demolished Novak Djokovic and Gilles Simon, en route the semi-final clash with Ferrer, took the first set 6-4.

But the never-say-die spirit of Ferrer was in full bloom in the second set, as he subdued Haas, to clinch the set 6-2.

Ferrer also claimed the third set 6-3.

The second semi-final was clinched by Andy Murray also in three sets.

Murray, a former winner of the Sony Open and last year’s runner-up lost the opening set in a tiebreaker before beating Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 6-2.

“I could have made it easier on myself,” Murray said. “I could have played a better game when I was serving for the first set, but I didn’t.

“I responded well and obviously he struggled in the third set with his movement. I just had to take care of my own side of the net. I did a good job of that.”

Murray, the 2009 champion, dropped his first set of the tournament by losing the opening-set tiebreak to eighth seed Gasquet, but quickly made amends and dominated the final two sets to reach his third Miami final.

Murray, who is the lone British champion in the history of the Miami event, has beaten Ferrer in six out of 11 career matches, winning five of the last seven.

Ferrer has only beaten Murray once on a non-clay surface and that was at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2011.

“It is going to be a tough match. He is an unbelievable competitor,” Murray said. “We train a lot together so we know each other’s games well so there should be a lot of long rallies.”

The 26-year-old Scot clinched the win when a frustrated Gasquet hammered a return of serve on his forehand into the bottom of the net on the first of two match points.

Murray finished with six aces and won 75 percent of his first-serve points in a centre court match that ended just one minute shy of being two hours long.

Murray started slowly, struggling with his serve at times as he double faulted five times in the match, including three times in the opening set.

Gasquet, who has won twice already this year but was hampered by a right foot problem in this one, was trying to become the first Frenchman to capture the Miami title.