Nalbandian back in Paris Masters final

Defending champion David Nalbandian continued to impress at the BNP Paris Masters.

The eighth-seeded Argentine advanced to the final of the hardcourt event Saturday with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia.

Nalbandian, who will face either No. 11 James Blake or 13th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday’s final, is a victory away from becoming the first back-to-back winner in the 23-year history of this event.

Davydenko, the 2006 champion, was the latest in a long line of top-10 players to be ousted by Nalbandian. The 26-year-old also topped No. 4 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and ninth-seeded countryman Juan Martin del Potro in the third round.

Nalbandian’s run to the title here last season included top-10 wins over Roger Federer, David Ferrer and current world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who settled for runner-up.

Saturday’s victory also kept alive Nalbandian’s chances at securing one of the two remaining spots in the year-end Tennis Masters Cup at Shanghai.

The semifinal between Blake and Tsonga may clarify that situation.

The 28-year-old Blake will qualify is he beats Tsonga and, should that happen, Nalbandian would be able to secure the final spot by defeating the American in Sunday’s final.

That is the only scenario that would prevent del Potro from grabbing one of the open spots in the eight-player field.

Those already qualified for the prestigious event are Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic, Murray, Davydenko and Andy Roddick.

First prize is just over $466,000.