Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal has reached his third final in a row by beating countryman David Ferrer at the Tennis Masters Series event in Rome.
Nadal extended his winning streak to 16 matches by overcoming a first set loss to beat Ferrer in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Nadal faces 2004 French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria of Argentina, who knocked American veteran Andre Agassi out of the clay-court event 7-5, 7-6.
Sunday, Nadal will attempt to become the third consecutive Spanish champion at this tournament -- Spain's Felix Mantilla took the Rome title in 2003 and Carlos Moya of Spain won it last year.
Sunday's final will be a rematch of the Monte Carlo final earlier this year when Nadal won in four sets, (6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5). Should the 18-year-old Spaniard win Sunday, he would become the youngest champion in Rome since Jimmy Arias won the tournament in 1983.
The tournament is a key warm-up for the second major tournament of the year, the French Open, which starts May 23 in Paris.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
