Rafael Nadal enters China Open final with hard-fought win over Grigor Dimitrov

Rafael Nadal secured a hard fought three-set win over Grigor Dimitrov as he came closer to his sixth title this season by entering the final of the China Open.

Rafael Nadal was forced into a third set before the world number one piled the pressure on Grigor Dimitrov to reach the final of the China Open on Saturday.

Rafael Nadal entered the final of the China Open with a hard fought 6-3,4-6,6-1 win over Grigor Dimitrov. (AFP)

The 31-year-old Spaniard, enjoying a late-career flourish and chasing a sixth title this season, beat off the Bulgarian third seed 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in their semi-final on Beijing’s outside hard courts.

Nadal, good friends with Dimitrov, will face German prodigy Alexander Zverev or temperamental Australian Nick Kyrgios in Sunday’s final.

Dimitrov battled back from a set down to take it to a deciding third set.

But with the crowd behind him and Dimitrov visibly tiring, the 16-time Grand Slam champion Nadal stepped up a gear to ram home his superiority.