Rafael Nadal reached the final of the China Open with a 7-5 6-3 win over Italy's Fabio Fognini.
Fognini had beaten Nadal three times this year, including
in the US Open third round,
but the Spaniard held his nerve to set up a meeting with either Novak Djokovic or David Ferrer.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner crucially broke Fognini as the Italian served to stay in the opening set at 5-6.
"Happy to be back in a final. Thanks all for your support," he tweeted.
The match featured six breaks of serve, five in the first set alone.
In the second, Nadal broke again to go 4-2 ahead and held out for victory.
In Sunday's final, the 29-year-old will be seeking his fourth trophy of a season in which he has failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2004 and has seen his world ranking drop to eighth.
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