Rafael Nadal battles past Grigor Dimitrov to reach China Open final

Rafael Nadal has booked his place in the final of the China Open with a three-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov.

The world number one has been in excellent form since the back end of the American swing, and the Spaniard has remained on course to win another title with a 6-3 4-6 6-1 triumph over Dimitrov.

One break of serve was enough for Nadal to take the opener and it appeared that would be the case in the second as the left-hander moved three games away from victory.

However, from 3-1 down, Dimitrov rallied to break the Nadal serve on two occasions to take the contest into a decider, but Nadal was soon able to restore normal service.

Three break points were taken from nine opportunities as Nadal progressed through to a final with either Alexander Zverev or Nick Kyrgios.