It is Nadal versus Federer again!
Rafael Nadal showed he is still the king of clay with another superb display in his semifinal against the man chasing his number 2 ranking, Novak Djokovic.
Before this match I thought the Serbian may be the one to knock off Nadal. As with the previous five opponents Djokovic the reigning Australian Open champion was not even able to take a set from the three time defending champion.
Nadal started the match in fine style. He had Djokovic confused on return of serve as Nadal used good variety. Nadal was also pounding his big forehands and also getting great angles off his backhand. The no. 3 seeded Djokovic had no answer to the impressive play of Nadal.
Nadal went on to claim the first two sets 6-4, 6-2. In the third set he looked like running away with the match as he went to a 3-0 lead with two early service breaks. Djokovic being the proud player that he is did not want to go out this way and he came storming back. The set was now level at 5-5 and the tiebreak loomed.
Both players held from 5-5 and they entered the tie breaker. Could this be the start of an amazing comeback from Djokovic? Nadal said no. He jumped on the Serbian early and went to a 6-0 lead. From there it was going to be hard to lose. Nadal closed out the match with an overhead to take the tiebreak 7-3.
Game, set, match to Nadal 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3). Another superb performance from the King of Clay. Nadal is yet to taste defeat on the Roland Garros Courts. He has now won 27 consecutive matches. With his move into the final Nadal joined Borg and Lendl as the only players in the open era to reach four consecutive finals.
The tennis world now waited to see who would join Nadal in the final. Would it be a repeat of the previous two finals with Federer advancing, or could the local hope Monfils delight the crowd with a victory over the top player in the world.
As it turned out Federer would overcome the challenge from the Frenchman. It took a four-hour plus battle for Federer to advance. The final score was 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.
Federer would be happy to once again have the chance to dethrone Nadal however his form against Monfils included some momentary lapses of concentration. If he is to defeat Nadal he needs to play the match of his life on clay.
Will this happen? Have you say by leaving a comment below.
I have mixed feelings about this match. I would like Federer to finally win a French Open title however I admire the dominant play of Nadal at Roland Garros and would like to see his amazing winning streak continue.
Facebook comments: