Blake, Granollers-Pujol set up ATP clay final at Houston

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Home favorite James Blake eased into the final the U.S. Clay Court Championships as the top seed won 6-3, 7-6 over Spaniard Oscar Hernandez at Houston on Saturday.

The eighth-ranked American, who's seeking his 11th ATP title, swept through the opening set before clinching the tiebreak in the second 7-3 to wrap up the 95-minute victory.

"I played a really good tiebreaker, I felt," Blake told the crowd after the match. "I couldn't have asked for a better end to it."

Blake, who lost in the semifinals last year, ran around his backhand to nail a forehand down the line out of Hernandez's reach to end the match.

He will face another Spaniard Marcel Granollers-Pujol in Sunday's final as the latter, seeded seventh, came from a set down to beat American Wayne Odesnik 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the other semifinal earlier on Saturday.

It'll be the 84th-ranked Spaniard's first ATP final, while the 11th for Blake.

Granollers-Pujol, 22, sealed the victory in two hours 14 minutes after recovered from one set down to take control in the second by saving a match point on serve.