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7 Jun, 2019 14:08

‘King of Clay’ - Rafael Nadal thrashes Roger Federer to reach French Open final

‘King of Clay’ - Rafael Nadal thrashes Roger Federer to reach French Open final

Spanish tennis super star Rafael Nadal, the all-time leader in men's singles titles at Roland Garros, eased past Swiss legend Roger Federer to advance to another French Open final in straight sets 6-3 6-4 6-2 on Philippe Chatrier.

The defending French Open champion recorded a solid victory on Friday, immediately taking control of the game to take a 3-0 lead int he first set. Federer’s attempts to close the gap appeared to be in vain as Nadal went on to confidently take the first set 6-3.

READ MORE: Unpredictable outcome: Australia's Barty to face teen Vondrousova in French Open final

It seemed that the French weather wanted to interfere in the tough battle between the two longtime rivals and strong wind blasts sometimes changing direction of the ball, with mini tornadoes even keeping wild lob shots in play.

Federer managed to break his rival in the beginning of the second set, however his lead appeared to be short lived as the second-ranked Nadal fought back to tie the game at 3-3.

Both players confidently held serve before Nadal made a crucial break to take a 5-4 lead. Inspired by his dominant on-court play the Spaniard cemented his lead by blasting down unstoppable serves to win the second set 6-4, with Federer displaying flashes ofhot-headed behavior under pressure.

The 11-time French Open winner continued dominating on court in the third set winning five games in a row to create a more than healthy 5-1 advantage.

Federer, who got only 53 percent of his first serve in the third set, managed to take just one more game before Nadal finally sealed game, set and match to progress to French Open final.

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