Safin, Nalbandian to Clash in ATP Madrid Final

"I knew he was a little bit tired with the long match of yesterday," Safin said. "I could concentrate on my serve and take chances on his."

Agassi was up a mini-break in the second set tiebreak but could not hold out.

"I got outplayed in the first set," Agassi said. "I managed to sort of hang in there and figure out a way to give myself more chances than him in the second. Didn't quite just get over that hump."

In the final Safin will square off against No. 4 seed David Nalbandian, who is also jockeying for one of the remaining four Masters Cup spots. Nalbandian defeated unseeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-4 in his semifinal.

Safin has won four of his five meetings with Nalbandian, but the Argentine won their most recent meeting this year at Roland Garros.

"He defeated me at Roland Garros," Safin said. "I had a lot of blisters, so it's a good excuse. But I like to play against him. I feel comfortable. Now it's different. He's playing much better. He has more confidence, more experience. He knows how to play indoors. Everything depends on the beginning of the match and how everything starts. After that the match will be defined."

The doubles final will feature world No. 1s (1) Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor vs. (2) Bob/Mike Bryan.