By Sanjay Rajan

CHENNAI, India - Belgian Xavier Malisse stunned world number two Rafael Nadal 6-4, 7-6 on Saturday to move into the final of the Chennai Open.

Third-seeded Malisse produced a dominating all-court display, serving powerfully and breaking the top seed in the third game to clinch the first set. Malisse will face Austrian Stefan Koubek in Sunday's final in the $416,000 (£215,488) event. The 30-year-old left-hander beat former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain 6-3 6-1 in the other semi-final.

"It's my first victory against a player ranked as high as number two. I served very well, while for him nothing went right on set points," Malisse told a news conference.

Nadal, who won five titles in his first eight tournaments in 2006, has not reached a final since Wimbledon in July, when he lost in four sets to world number one Roger Federer. "I am disappointed -- it is important for me to reach more finals and win them," Nadal said.

World number 37 Malisse, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2002, had to fight hard to keep the rampaging Mallorcan at bay in the second set. The 26-year-old saved three set points in the 10th and 12th games and played superbly in the tie-break to shut out the Spanish left-hander 7-4.

"I had my chances in the second set but he (Malisse) was playing really well and served well," Nadal said.
"If I had won the second set, I would have won the third as I was feeling better and better."

It was Malisse's first win in three meetings over the 20-year-old Spaniard, who exited in the first round in his only previous appearance here as a rookie three years ago. Nadal plays in Sydney next week as he prepares for the season's first major, the Australian Open in Melbourne later this month.

"It was a good tournament here. I'll take it forward to Sydney and give my best at the Australian Open," he said.

Unseeded Koubek, who beat two seeded players to reach the semi-finals, felled twice winner and fifth seed Moya in 63 minutes. Koubek broke world number 43 Moya, runner-up last year, in the eighth game to win the first set. "Everything I did worked. I was on top of him. It was a perfect day," said world number 80 Koubek.

The Austrian broke the Spaniard in the third, fifth and seventh games of the second to seal the match.