BARCELONA, Spain - Milos Raonic's run on the red clay at the Barcelona Open is over.
The hard-serving Canadian fell 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) to David Ferrer on Saturday as the Spaniard advanced to his fourth final at the tournament.
"I played a good match and really tried on my opportunities," said Raonic, who lost three times for Ferrer last season. "He was too good when it mattered. That's what makes him a great player who has beaten me every time we've played.
The third-seeded Ferrer will face either six-time champion Rafael Nadal or 2010 winner Fernando Verdasco in Sunday's final.
"I'm very happy to make my fourth final," Ferrer said. "I have a special relationship with this tournament. I hope I can fulfil my dream of finally winning here."
The 21-year-old Raonic, ranked 25th in the world, hit 15 aces against Ferrer, displaying the same massive serve that led to his upset of Andy Murray in the quarter-finals.
But Ferrer, sixth in the ATP rankings, worked his Canadian opponent around the clay court with well placed ground strokes and proved the better finisher in the two tiebreakers.
Down 3-1 in the second-set tiebreaker, the sixth-ranked Ferrer fought back and claimed the match in just over two hours with a superb return that clipped the sideline.
"It was very difficult to beat him," said the 30-year-old Ferrer. "We both had our chances. It was a question of winning or losing the key points."
Ferrer, who has won three titles already this season, has lost the three previous finals here to Nadal.
Raonic, who grew up in Thornhill, Ont., was bidding for a breakthrough after a positive week in the city where he trains with Spanish coach Galo Blanco.
"I feel my game is really improving, which I credit to improved mental toughness," Raonic said. "That's responsible for 90 per cent of my success."
Meanwhile in doubles, Toronto's Daniel Nestor and partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus lost in the semifinals to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-3, 0-6, 10-6 of Poland.
Nestor is a four-time doubles champion in Barcelona.
