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Four-time champion Rafael Nadal stormed into his fifth French Open final on Friday to set up a mouth-watering revenge showdown with Robin Soderling, who sent him crashing to a first Paris defeat last year.
Spanish second seed Nadal, who turned 24 on Thursday, outclassed battling Austrian journeyman Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) to maintain his record of not having dropped a set in this tournament.
Soderling, the Swedish fifth seed who was defeated by Roger Federer in the 2009 final, blasted past Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in his semi-final.
Now the Swede, who put Federer out in the quarter-final here on Wednesday, stands in the way of Nadal capturing a fifth French Open, a feat which would place the Spaniard just one behind Bjorn Borg on the all-time list.
"It was very hot today, but the ball bounces higher and there's more top spin which is good for my game," said Nadal. "Soderling is playing really well. I will go on court and do my best and if he beats me I will congratulate him. For sure, it will be a difficult match."
