Rotterdam: World No 1 Rafael Nadal chalked up his 11th victory in a row on Saturday, defeating unwell Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final of the World Indoor Tournament.
The Spaniard next plays Britain's Andy Murray, who destroyed Croatian Mario Ancic 6-1, 6-2.
Monfils, the only player to beat Nadal this year in the Qatar Open quarter-finals last month, made a poor start by dropping his first service game.
He broke back but then surrendered his serve again in the fifth game. Nadal, who went to three sets in his previous three matches this week, only needed a single break in the second set to close out Monfils.
Stomach problems
"I feel sorry for Gael," Nadal said.
"He did not play his best because of stomach problems and I was thinking more about him than myself. I saw him vomit when I went to the toilet after the first set. That disturbed my concentration and afterwards I made more mistakes."
Nadal said he would need to be back to his best against Murray on Sunday.
The second-seeded Scot raced through the first set against Ancic in 24 minutes and maintained his rhythm to clinch his second final appearance of the year, after winning in Doha last month.
Murray, though, said an ankle injury would prevent him playing in Marseille next week.
"It felt uncomfortable after yesterday's quarter-final," he said. "I hope it will not be a problem for the final. It didn't bother me today as I played really well. The physio examined my ankle but could not find any damage. Next week I will try getting my ankle better and prepare for the hardcourt tournaments to come."
Mauresmo enters Paris final
Amelie Mauresmo showed glimpses of the form that once made her world No 1 when she beat Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 in the Paris Open semi-finals on Saturday.
Mauresmo, who was top of the rankings in 2004 and also won the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles in 2006, has dropped to 24th after a string of injuries.
Despite a third-round exit against Belarussian Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open last month, the Frenchwoman showed she was moving in the right direction under new coach Hugo Lecoq.
On Saturday, Mauresmo used her devastating slice and trademark crosscourt backhand to beat the world No 3 .
"She's much better ranked than me so it is very good for my confidence," Mauresmo said after setting up a final clash with Olympic champion Elena Dementieva of Russia.
"I am also happy with my game which has been very good since the beginning of the tournament. It's a long time since that has happened. But the question is not whether I'm back. I've just started to feel better and I must remain cautious."
Mauresmo has not won a singles title since her Antwerp triumph two years ago.
"It's my first final since Eastbourne in 2007 (when she lost to Justine Henin) but playing the final is not the issue," she said. "The goal is to win it."
On Sunday she faces a player she knows well, having met third seed Dementieva 14 times.
Fresh Dementieva
Although Mauresmo has won eight of their matches, she lost their last two encounters in straight sets.
"She will be fresher than me," said Mauresmo after Dementieva advanced when world No 1 Serena Williams pulled out of their semi-final due to injury.
"Already she has two titles under her belt this year but I think I have what it takes to beat her."
Former world No1 Jankovic said she was pleased with her performances this week. "Compared to the Australian Open, I feel my timing is much better," said the Serb.
"I'm more behind the ball and have better balance. "In Australia I was late on every ball. I had no concept of my game. It was just a disaster and I didn't feel comfortable on the court. "I didn't feel like I was doing anything right but here I feel I'm just getting better."
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