Nadal Will Face Del Potro in Indian Wells Final

Rafael Nadal edged Tomas Berdych in two tight sets to reach the BNP Paribas Open final at his first hard court tournament in nearly a year.

By Chris Oddo

(March 16, 2013) -- Rafael Nadal advanced to his third consecutive final just a month after returning from a seven-month hiatus when he defeated Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-5 in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals.

Nadal, absent from hard court competition for 346 days before his first match at Indian Wells, will carry a 13-match winning streak into tomorrow's final against Juan Martin Del Potro.

It might seem like small potatoes compared to his career-best streak of 32 matches in 2008, but when you consider that Nadal had been out of action with career-threatening knee problems since July of last year, his rapid return to trailblazing form seems even more remarkable.

"I don't have nothing to lose after seven months," Nadal told reporters. "I did much more than what I dreamed."

Read: Nadal Dismisses Federer at Indian Wells

Today, Nadal appeared to be at his swashbuckling best against a very dangerous Tomas Berdych. He weathered a run of fine play in the early going with some stingy serving of his own to stay on serve at 3-all, and when Berdych missed a forehand at 30-40 of the next game, Nadal was in the driver's seat.

But Berdych would make him work for it. He pushed Nadal to deuce at 4-3 before the Spaniard hit two of his 16 winners to claim the game.

Then, with Nadal serving for the set, Berdych pushed him to 15-30 before Nadal shrugged off a time violation warning and ripped a backhand passing shot past Berdych to get to 30-all.

He won the next two points to close out the set.

"He looks strong again," said Berdych of the man who has now defeated him 12 consecutive times. "What he was missing in his first matches when he came back after the injury was maybe a bit of confidence in his game, but definitely not today and not anymore."

The second set may have even been a touch closer than the first, and Berdych would even take the first break when Nadal dumped an uncharacteristic double fault into the net on break point at 3-4 to give the Czech a chance to serve for the set.

But Berdych would falter under pressure, getting behind 0-40, then sending a forehand long two points later to give Nadal the break back.

After Nadal held for 5-5, Berdych faced another break point at 30-40, and after doing everything right to gain the advantage in the point, he lost Nadal's defensive lob in the sun and flubbed the shot to hand Nadal another break.

With Nadal serving for the match, the Czech would rebound to earn three break points, but he didn't get a single return in play on any of them, and Nadal finally finished him off with another blistering serve that he couldn't handle on his second match point.

With wins over Ernests Gulbis, Roger Federer and now Tomas Berdych, all that is left for Nadal is an ornery Juan Martin del Potro.

Watch: Gulbis Surfaces in Rotterdam

Del Potro put Novak Djokovic's 22-match winning streak to bed on Saturday with an inspired come from behind victory that was full of dazzling shotmaking, momentum changes, and a whole lot of drama.

The World No. 7 fought past Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to end a personal four-match losing streak against the Serb and reach the final at Indian Wells for the first time.

It was a nerve-wracking, lung-searing battle the whole way through.

With the pair on serve at 5-4 in the first set Djokovic earned three set points against Del Potro's serve, finally converting on the third with a sparkling series of defensive gets that ended when Del Potro shanked a forehand wildly long.

After spending the intermission getting a blister on his foot treated, the Argentine would take advantage of some loose play by Djokovic to break the Serb twice consecutively in the second set.

Watch: Del Potro seeks comfort in the arms of a linesman

He then held on for a wild ride to claim a second set that featured five breaks of serve in ten games. After nearly blowing a double-break lead, Del Potro closed out the set when a Djokovic down the line forehand clipped the tape in the tenth game.

It was more of the same in the decider. Djokovic played cat-and-mouse on two occasions to earn double break point in the second game, then drilled a cross court return that the big man couldn't handle to take a 2-0 lead. But with the crowd urging Del Potro on, he broke back for 3-2, then held to love to even the set.

Del Potro pushed Djokovic to the brink in the seventh game, but the Serb appeared to be on his way to another of his trademark great escapes as he saved double break point to lead 4-3. Again, at 4-4, Del Potro would knock on the door. He overcooked a forehand on his first break point of the game, but when a Djokovic backhand sailed long the crowd erupted as he prepared to serve for a spot in the final.

Del Potro was clearly gassed, and he had routinely hunched over, hands on knees, after grueling rallies with Djokovic, but in the final game his heart and character shone through. He hammered an ace at 40-30 to close the match, raising his arms skyward and heading to the net for an emotional exchange with his adversary.

Nadal owns a 7-3 career advantage over Del Potro, including decisions in their last three meetings.

(Photo Credit: AP)