Huey, partner reach doubles final in Germany

MANILA, Philippines - Treat Huey didn’t get his dream duel with seven-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal. But the Fil-Am ace got a re-match with recent conqueror Aisam Ul Haq Qureshi of Pakistan.

Huey and American partner Scott Lipsky survived a fierce first set challenge from unseeded Germans Michael Kohlmann and Florian Mayer to hammer out a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory to barge into the doubles finals of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany Saturday.

Qureshi, who beat Huey and a different partner in the French Open two weeks ago, teamed up with Dutch Jean Julien Rojer as they thumped Poland’s Lukasz Kubot and Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, 6-2, 6-4, in the other semis showdown.

Kohlmann and Mayer made it through after Nadal and fellow Spaniard, Marcel Granollers, decided to quit in the quarters, preventing Huey from facing off one of the world’s best clay court players.

Still, Huey got a crack at the crown and a chance to get back at Qureshi.

But Huey and Lipsky, ranked Nos. 39 and 43rd, respectively in the ATP doubles rankings, will have their hands full against Qureshi and Rojer, who are currently ranked 19th and 23rd.

Huey and Lipsky pulled off a shock 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 win over second seed Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic and Julian Knowle of Austria in the quarters.

Qureshi and Rojer, for their part, advanced to the semis after the two edged Sweden’s Johan Brunstorm and Germany’s Philippe Marx in a pulsating 7-6 (7), 6-7 (1), 10-7 in the other bracket.