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Ancic maintains his Masters hopes

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ST PETERSBURG, Russia -- Third seed Mario Ancic crushed 18-year-old newcomer Ernest Gulbis of Latvia 6-2 6-3 to reach the St Petersburg Open final on Saturday.

Swedish holder Thomas Johansson, chasing his third event title, later ended local interest when he beat Russian wild card Igor Kunitsyn 6-3 7-6 to book a showdown with the Croat.

Ancic broke the 204th-ranked Gulbis, who was making his ATP debut, twice in the first set and once more in the second to wrap up a comfortable victory.

"The match was actually much tougher than the score indicates," said Ancic, the only seed left in the draw after a rush of injuries decimated the $1 million tournament.

"I had to save six break points against a player who has a very big potential and didn't have too much to lose."

Looking ahead to the final the 22-year-old said: "I just have to continue playing good tennis.

"It would be very difficult to beat Thomas because he has already won this tournament twice and feels almost at home here. Besides, he is also one of my best friends on the tour and it'll be something special to play him."

The win kept alive Ancic's chances of securing a spot at next month's season-ending Masters Cup.

He is currently 11th in the ATP Race with 349 points, 61 points behind eighth-placed Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who lost in the first round here.

The top eight are guaranteed a place in Shanghai. Ancic will gain 38 points if he wins in St Petersburg.

Despite the defeat, Gulbis, coached by former Croatia Davis Cup captain Niki Pilic, was satisfied with his showing in Russia's northern capital.

"I played well in the first set and even better in the second," said the promising 18-year-old from Riga, who was given a wildcard invite by the tournament organisers.

"I had quite a few break points on his serve but just couldn't convert any of them. But I'm not disappointed, it was a good learning experience for me to play here."

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