Berdych to face Berlocq in Portugal final

Czech Tomas Berdych will put his top seeding on the lineSunday when he plays Carlos Berlocq the final of the Portugal Open.World number six Berdych lived up to his billing with a 6-2, 6-2 hammering ofRomanian Victor Hanescu while Argentine Berlocq beat Spanish qualifier DanielGimeno-Traver 7-6 (8/6), 6-2.Berdych, playing on a wild card, will compete in his third final of the season afterRotterdam and Dubai while the 61st-ranked Berlocq is entering only the third finalof his career (1-1)."The first step is there, I'm in the final," said Berdych. "Now it would be really greatto win this title."It's always a pleasure to be competing at the end of a week. Every final counts andI'm really looking forward to this one."Berdych needed just 72 minutes to defeat Hanescu in a match which he made it alllook easy after struggling in the previous round.The top seed won with five aces and four breaks of serve in a straightforward effortwhich put him into a 22nd career final and bidding for his ninth trophy.The victory also gives Berdych a 2-0 lead in the series after defeating Hanescu in theWimbledon second round six years ago. The loss denied Hanescu his 200th careervictory on the ATP."I finally found the way I want to play," said Berdych. "This is how I want to prepareon the clay."I need (tough) days like yesterday to work through, it's important to fight out oftough situations. That's why I'm here. I want to improve my clay game this week andI'm managing to put my game together."Berdych, who lost early in Monte Carlo, dominated in the opening set, sweeping it inhalf an hour. He moved out to 3-0 in the second, with Hanescu ending a streak ofthree broken service games to hold for 1-3.But Berdych kept up the pressure, firing an ace for a 5-2 lead and breaking hisopponent a game later to complete the win.The Czech improved to 24-5 on the season. He spent 2013 as the only member of thetop 10 not to win a title but lifted the Rotterdam trophy in February, his first title in16 months.He is playing Portugal for the first time since 2005, when he lost in the openinground as a teenager.Berlocq's attacking game produced 21 errors from Gimeno-Traver, who saved a setpoint in the 54-minute opener.But his Argentine opponent got a 2-1 lead in the second set and never let go,breaking two more times on the way to the win.Berdych holds a comfortable 3-0 margin over Berlocq and has beaten the SouthAmerican twice on clay. Source: AFP