ESPN Tennis

* Mathieu downs qualifier Cuevas to book final spot

* Davydenko beats Ferrer to reach first final of the season

(Updates with Davydenko advancing to final)

HAMBURG, Germany, July 25 - Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu beat Uruguayan qualifier Pablo Cuevas 4-6 6-3 7-5 at the German Open on Saturday to reach his first final this season.

The world number 39, who raced back from a set and a break down, will play Russian Nikolay Davydenko who edged past Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 7-6.

The 23-year-old Cuevas initially pummelled Mathieu with his lethal topspin backhand, grabbing an early break to lead 4-2 before clinching the first set.

The world number 107 got another break in the first game of the second set but the 27-year-old Mathieu was in no mood to surrender, winning four consecutive games to level the match.

Heavy rain suspended play for some 40 minutes as the retractable roof started to leak before 13th seed Mathieu raced to a 5-1 lead in the final set.

He survived a stirring comeback from surprise semi-finalist Cuevas, who levelled at 5-5, before breaking him again and serving out the match after almost three hours.

Ferrer, also looking for his first title of the season, broke the Russian world number 12 twice to go up 5-3 before Davydenko battled back to earn a break, then held serve to level at 5-5 before clinching the set.

Davydenko, who has missed much of this season with a heel injury, and world number 23 Ferrer traded early breaks in the second before the Spaniard again went a break up.

Ferrer, a losing finalist in Barcelona and Dubai this year, went 5-3 up but Davydenko broke back and then levelled.

Two audacious crosscourt dropshots gave the Russian a 4-0 lead in the tie break, which he won on his first match point. (Writing by Karolos Grohmann in Berlin, Editing by Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index