Feliciano Lopez to face Pouille in Stuttgart final

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Spaniard Feliciano Lopez reached his first final in almost a year when he beat local favourite Mischa Zverev 6-7(2) 7-6(4) 7-5 in the battle of the southpaws on Saturday to book a spot in the Stuttgart Open final.

The 35-year-old Lopez, who last made a final in August 2016, reached his fourth career grasscourt final as he prepares for Wimbledon and will face fourth seed Frenchman Lucas Pouille on Sunday.

Lopez can now win his third title on the surface to add to his two victories in Eastbourne in 2013 and 2014.

Pouille edged past fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire in a finely-balanced encounter where one single break in the entire match was enough for a 7-6(5) 7-5 victory.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)