Nadal tames Federer to enter final

Rafael Nadal [Images] celebrated his 19th birthday in style, taming world number one Roger Federer [Images] 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to reach the French Open men's singles final.

The Spanish prodigy, trying to become the first man to win at Roland Garros on debut since Swede Mats Wilander in 1982, won a superb battle to set up a title showdown with Argentina's Mariano Puerta.

The unseeded Puerta advanced by wearing down Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the first semi-final earlier on a stormy day.

Top seed Federer, who was hoping to capture the only Grand Slam crown to have eluded him, bowed out by hitting a forehand long on the first match point after two hours and 47 minutes.

Fourth seed Nadal extended his winning streak on clay to 23 matches and will be the overwhelming favourite to take the title when he faces Puerta in Sunday's final.

Puerta, who found himself in the tennis wilderness when he was hit with a nine-month doping in 2003, muscled his way through the first set after a 90-minute rain delay and looked capable of overpowering the slender Davydenko.

However the Russian, who beat last year's runner-up Guillermo Coria, also from Argentina, in the fourth round, found his range to seize the initiative.

Cutting off the angles with his metronomic double-handed backhand Davydenko moved into a two sets to one lead as the fizz went out of Puerta's game.

But the 26-year-old Argentine found a new lease of life in the fourth set, pouncing for a break in the seventh game to set up a decider.

With both players slugging relentlessly from the baseline it was Puerta who wobbled first, sending a tired-looking forehand over the baseline to trail 4-2.

The Argentine refused to flinch, however, summoning all is reserves of energy to surge through the next four games as Davydenko's resistance finally crumbled.

Puerta's crunched an unplayable forehand down the line to end the contest after three hours 29 minutes.

It is the third year running that an unseeded player has reached the men's final at Roland Garros, following on from last year's champion Gaston Gaudio and Dutchman Martin Verkerk, who was beaten in the 2003 final.

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