By Erik Gudris | Saturday, June 14, 2014

 

Feliciano Lopez outlasted Radek Stepanek in an old fashioned grass court duel. He'll now face Grigor Dimitrov in the Queen's Club final.

Photo Credit: AP

With some jaw-dropping shotmaking, Grigor Dimitrov and Feliciano Lopez booked their spots into the Aegon Championships final. Both will now seek their first ever title at the longstanding grass court event in London.

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The No. 4 seed Dimitrov, a former semifinalist in 2012, reached the last round after knocking out top seed Stan Wawrinka. Dimitrov got off to a good start by breaking Wawrinka, who had held serve all event long, twice in the opening set.

Dimitrov then provided the crowd with one of his now trademark acrobatic shots early in the second set. Chasing down a Wawrinka drop shot, Dimitrov responded with a sliding split as he flicked the ball over the net for a winner. After fending off break points, Dimitrov would break Wawrinka again to go up 4-3 thanks to a mistimed forehand from the top seed.

Frustrated with his efforts, Wawrinka would smack his racquet later in the set. Wawrinka would hold serve for 5-4 and force Dimitrov to serve for the match. That proved no problem for Dimitrov who struck a final ace en route to sealing the 6-2, 6-4 win.

Dimitrov will now go after his third title of the year on yet another surface having won Acapulco (hard)and Bucharest (clay) earlier.

Waiting for him on Sunday will be Lopez who found himself engaged in his own entertaining semifinal.

In a battle of two veteran all-court players, Lopez faced off against fellow lefty Radek Stepanek. The World No. 42 Stepanek reached this phase with stellar wins including knocking out defending champion Andy Murray.

Lopez and Stepanek found themselves locked in a testing first set. Stepanek fought off several break points against him to hold for 3-all. Soon enough, a tiebreak was required. Lopez would hold two set points but was denied both by Stepanek who saved the first with inspired defense before ending with a smash winner.

But the Spaniard would finally clinch the tiebreak 7-6(7) after hitting a well-placed volley behind Stepanek on yet another set point opportunity.

Striking two backhand winners in a row midway through the second set, Lopez earned a break lead for 4-3. Lopez, serving for the match at 5-4, would have to produce one more remarkable winner against the defiant Stepanek.

Lopez chased down a well-time Stepanek lob by reeling off a roundhouse forehand winner. A final Stepanek error allowed Lopez to celebrate the 7-6(7), 6-4 victory.

"I just hope to be as consistent and have my chances tomorrow," Lopez said on facing Dimitrov.

Now into his first ever Queen's Club final, Lopez will go after his initial title this season. His last one came at Eastbourne in 2013.