Classy Kyrgios sets up Cilic final in Marseille

Nick Kyrgios stormed into the final of the Open 13 with a hugely impressive straight-sets triumph over second seed Tomas Berdych on Saturday.

Having sprung a surprise in the last eight by dropping just four games against Richard Gasquet, Kyrgios proved dominant on serve as he beat Berdych 6-4 6-2 in Marseille.

Marin Cilic stands between the Australian and a maiden ATP World Tour title after the 2014 US Open champion triumphed 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 against Benoit Paire.

Home hope Paire had beaten top seed Stan Wawrinka in the previous round, but was undermined by a poor first-service percentage against Cilic as the world number 12 prevailed.

In contrast to Paire's struggles, Kyrgios delivered something of a masterclass to see off a player ranked 33 places above him.

The 20-year-old gave up only seven points on serve in the match and fired down 15 aces to prevent Berdych – the winner of their recent third-round meeting at the Australian Open – from gaining a foothold.

A solitary break in the first set gave Kyrgios, who had completed victory over Gasquet with four successive aces, the opening set before he reeled off five games in a row to book his place in a second ATP final.

Gasquet was the man to beat Kyrgios in his previous final appearance at the 2015 Estoril Open.

Cilic, meanwhile, will be seeking a 15th ATP title on Sunday and his first since October.