Federer to meet Nadal in final

Roger Federer set up a French Open final showdown with Rafael Nadal for the third year in a succession after defeating the battling Gael Monfils in four sets today.

The Swiss star struggled at times against the world number 59, allowing himself to be pegged back at one set apiece before posting a hard-fought 6-2 5-7 6-3 7-5 win in a little over three hours.

A little bit of history will be made regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s final, with Nadal aiming to equal Bjorn Borg’s record of four straight wins at Roland Garros and world number one Federer attempting to complete a Grand Slam of the four majors.

The first set went much according to the script, Monfils battling well but the class of Federer shining through on the big shots.

An early break of the Monfils serve drew groans from the partisan crowd, although it quickly became apparent the Frenchman was struggling with his vision, forcing the 21-year-old to reach for the eyedrops after three games.

For the remainder of the first set, however, all that did was help Monfils see Federer’s winners all the better, and another break for 4-2 proved key before Federer served out to take the opener.

But Monfils showed precisely why he is a grand slam semi-finalist in the next set, trading breaks with the world number one as Federer began to make a host of unforced errors – 14 coming in the second set alone.

Monfils deservedly claimed the second set with a second break of serve at 6-5, Federer mis-timing an easy forehand to allow his opponent to level.

Monfils struggled to hold it together in the third set, however, Federer eradicating the unforced errors while his opponent’s mistake count started to creep up.

Three breaks to one in Federer’s favour told the tale of the set, the Swiss player’s first service percentage of 70% giving some indication of the task facing Monfils, who did himself no favours with 13 unforced errors.

But the inconsistency of Federer’s game became apparent in the fourth set, with unforced errors following winners with alarming frequency, all the while allowing Monfils to stay in touch.

Federer was having trouble putting volleys away whenever he came to the net, with one such failed effort affording Monfils two break points which the top seed repelled with a run of four unanswered points.

Serving to stay in the match at 4-5 Monfils was rocked on his heels two sublime Federer shots to bring up two match points, but the 21-year-old rallied to save both, the second with a thumping ace – his 10th of the match.

But he was merely delaying the inevitable, and two games later, again serving to stay in the match, Monfils’ defences were finally and fatally breached, Federer at last getting it right at the net as he finished off the match with a volleyed winner.

Earlier, Nadal blitzed his way into the final after dismantling Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in three sets.

The Spaniard broke the third seed on only his second service game and rarely looked troubled thereafter as he romped home to a 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7/3) triumph on Philippe Chatrier Court.

Credit must go to Djokovic, however, who, after appearing down and out at the end of the second set, rallied in the third to force the tie-breaker, only for Nadal to step it up again and close out the match after two hours and 49 minutes.

The second seed has been in imperious form at Roland Garros and has not dropped a set on his run to the final.