STUTTGART, Germany, 20 July 2003 — Argentine Guillermo Coria extended his brilliant run on clay with a 6-4, 6-0 demolition of Spaniard Feliciano Lopez yesterday for a place in the final of the Mercedes Cup.

Second seed Coria, who has now won 15 of his last 16 matches on the slow surface, will meet Spaniard Tommy Robredo in today’s final.

Robredo, seeded ninth, was leading 6-2, 4-1 in the other semifinal when Chilean Fernando Gonzalez retired injured.

The unseeded Lopez, who had upset three seeds on his way to the last four, mounted a brave challenge in the first set but then collapsed.

A double fault from Coria followed by a forehand wide gave Lopez a break for a 3-1 lead in the first set. Coria broke back immediately before capturing his opponent’s serve again in the ninth game to serve for the set, which he took with a service winner.

The second set was a one-sided affair with Coria, who has won the Hamburg Masters title this year and has also reached the final in Monte Carlo and the semifinals at the French Open, teaching Lopez a claycourt tennis lesson.

Sixth-seeded Gonzalez, who was wearing a bandage around his right knee, accumulated unforced errors and struggled with his serve in the first set, which Robredo took in just 20 minutes.

Robredo’s fine display of baseline tennis continued in the second set, the Spaniard managing a break in the fourth game courtesy of a double fault from Gonzalez.

The next game was a formality for Robredo before Gonzalez gave up and limped off.

Sluiter to Face Massu in Dutch Open Final

In Amsterdam, sixth seed and home favorite Raemon Sluiter overcame Spain’s Albert Montanes 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 yesterday to set up a final with Nicolas Massu.

Massu, seeded seventh, booked his place in Sunday’s title match after injury forced Peru’s Luis Horna to retire midway through the second set.

Dutchman Sluiter battled to win the first set 7-4 in the tie-break but was completely overwhelmed by Montanes in the second.

Montanes, ranked 107 in the world, put in a flawless display to run away with the set much to the despair of the partisan crowd.

Sluiter refused to cave in and sealed the match 6-3 in the third to reach his second Dutch Open final.

Chile’s Massu was leading Horna 6-3, 4-0 when the Peruvian retired with a leg injury.

The seventh seed was always in control against his training and former doubles partner, who struggled through the second set before limping out.

“It was very hard for me to play against a friend of mine. We also have the same coach (Gabriel Markus),” Massu told reporters.