Rafael Nadal powers past Diego Schwartzman at French Open to reach 13th Roland Garros final

King of Clay marches on: Rafael Nadal is closing in on a 13th French Open title
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Matt Davies9 October 2020

Rafael Nadal booked his spot in a fourth successive French Open final with a scintillating straight-sets victory over Diego Schwartzman.

The Spaniard, who remains on course for a record-extending 13th Roland Garros title, is yet to drop a single set en route to the final, defeating the Argentine 6-3, 6-3, 7-6.

The second seed will face either Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final.

In battling past Schwartzman, who overcame Dominic Thiem in a gruelling five-set quarter-final, the 'King of Clay' moves one step closer to equalling Roger Federer's emphatic record of 20 Grand Slam titles.

The tone of the match was set in the very first game, as Nadal saved two break points to edge ahead following a torrid 15-minute opener, in which Schwartzman laid down a marker: he was not here simply to take part.

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But with championship experience, a never-wavering confidence on clay and a forehand down the line most can only dream of, Nadal raced into an early lead, leading by two breaks to one in just five games, all of which saw break points.

Schwartzman remained highly competitive throughout the set, though Nadal eventually took the opener 6-3 at the third attempt. And particularly after his exhausting effort to topple Thiem in the quarter-final, you felt it would be a long way back for the Argentine.

As he so often does, Nadal then raised his seemingly impeccable game that one notch higher, taking control early as he broke Schwartzman in the third game to take total control of the match.

And though the following five games remained on serve, it was the Spaniard who was beginning to dictate and dominate, eventually breaking once more to claim the second set 6-3, with Schwartzman now seemingly down and out.

Schwartzman has come back to win from two sets down just once in his career, and any hopes of doing it for a second time were quickly diminished as Nadal broke in the fourth game of the third set to move 3-1 ahead.

However, what was heading towards another routine set turned into anything but. The Argentine capitalised on a strangely subdued and error-strewn Nadal service game to break straight back, and though Nadal immediately restored his advantage with a break to love, Schwartzman responded to seal a fourth successive break of serve.

In Pictures | French Open: Roland Garros 2020

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With the third set settled at 5-5, Nadal produced a defining hold, saving three break points, twice with stunning, brave winners, before Schwartzman took the set to a tie-break with another stunning hold to 15.

Nadal eventually took the tie-break 7-0 to claim his 97th win at Roland Garros from 99 matches. Indeed, victory in Sunday's final would give him an almost incomprehensibly remarkable record of 98 from 100.

And with the frightening form Nadal is showing, both Djokovic and Tsitsipas will know an enormous task lies ahead, not to mention the intensely exciting semi-final of their own.

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