Enlarge imageVALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) - Second seed Nikolay Davydenko squandered a one-set lead to lose 3-6 6-4 6-3 to unseeded Russian compatriot Mikhail Youzhny in the semi-finals of the Valencia Open on Saturday.
World number seven Davydenko remains in a strong position to claim one of two remaining places at the World Tour Finals later this month but could have clinched his birth in London by winning the indoor hard court title in Valencia.
He looked on course for a fourth victory in five meetings with Youzhny when he won the first set but the Muscovite fought back to take the second and opened a 4-0 lead in the third as Davydenko's game fell apart.
Youzhny sealed victory when his opponent netted an easy forehand and will play the winner of Saturday's second semi-final between top seed Andy Murray and fourth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in Sunday's final.
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"It was a good game, very tough, but I was a little bit lucky," Youzhny said in a television interview.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick have all qualified for the November 22-29 season-ending Tour Finals and Davydenko holds seventh spot and Verdasco eighth.
(Writing by Iain Rogers in Madrid; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
