David Nalbandian of Argentina swept into the Paris Masters final for the second straight year on Saturday by defeating Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
   
The win confirmed the fine vein of form that the eighth seed has struck as he gets ready for his ultimate goal - leading Argentina to their first Davis Cup title against Spain in Mar del Plata later this month.
   
The muscular South American took up where he left off on Friday in his outstanding quarter-final win against Andy Murray by peppering Davydenko off both flanks.
   
He won the first nine points of the match and allowed the sixth seed just three points in coasting out into a 5-0 lead.
   
Davydenko finally got on the board by holding his serve in the sixth game and he grafted out three break points in the following game but left all three chances slip by as Nalbandian went a set up in just 28 minutes.
   
Nalbandian grabbed another break to lead 2-1 in the second set, but the Russian dug deep to finally take the wind out of his opponent's sails by repairing the damage in the following game.
   
That levelled out the contest and the set went with serve after that until 6-5 to Davydenko when the Russian stepped up the pace to break to love.
   
It was Nalbandian who was up against it at the start of the third set with Davydenko's speed and serve causing him problems.
   
But a magnificent rally won by the Argentinian to go 30-0 up on Davydenko's serve at 3-3 inspired him to grab the vital break of serve.
   
Nalbandian served out twice for the win.
   
That left the Paris defending champion just one win away from securing one of the two remaining places for the elite eight-man field to contest the season-closing Masters Cup in Shanghai from November 9-16.
   
Three other players can clinch berths in China.
   
Two of those - James Blake of the United States and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France - will battle it out in the second semi-final later Saturday.
   
A win for Blake automatically qualifies the American, while home hope Tsonga will still need to defeat Nalbandian to reach his first Masters Cup even if he reaches the final here.
   
The other player in contention is Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, currently seventh in the standings and a third-round loser here to Nalbandian. He will book a ticket to Shanghai unless Nalbandian defeats Blake in the final.
   
The tournament's two top seeds, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both pulled out injured on Friday.
   
The top seeded Spaniard has a painful right knee, while the Swiss second seed is struggling with a stiff back.
   
Both said they were hopeful they would be fit enough to play in Shanghai, where Federer will be the defending champion.