Novak Djokovic has withstood a fierce fightback from Andy Murray to advance to his third French Open final and close to within one tantalising win of a cherished career grand slam set.
The world No.1 will play Swiss eighth seed Stan Wawrinka in Sunday's championship showdown after returning to Roland Garros on Saturday to prevail 6-3 6-3 5-7 5-7 6-1 over Murray in a tense and dramatic semi-final.
A severe storm warning in Paris on Friday night had left Djokovic and Murray on tenterhooks with the match suspended midway through the fourth set.
Djokovic was leading two sets to one and with games on serve at 3-3 in the fourth when play was stopped as the resurgent Murray enjoyed all the momentum.
Unbeaten against the Scot in seven meetings stretching back to their 2013 Wimbledon final, Djokovic had been cruising to a 28th successive victory in supreme season before becoming nervy and starting to misfire with the finish line in sight on Friday.
The lapse was all Murray needed as he snatched the third set before the weather gods intervened to force the two tennis titans to endure a restless night's sleep.
The chance to join Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver as only the fifth man in the 47-year era to win all four majors in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York appeared to unsettle Djokovic as the Serb's jitters resurfaced on Saturday.
The world No.1 dropped serve with a flurry of unforced errors to concede the fourth set as Murray threatened to pull off a famous win.
Alas, the third seed's hopes of becoming the first Brit to make the men's final in Paris since Bunny Austin in 1937 floundered as he handed Djokovic a service break and a 3-0 lead in the deciding set.
There was to be no second comeback as the five-times Australian Open champion grabbed a double break in the sixth game before serving out the epic encounter after four hours and nine minutes.
"I'm very glad that I managed to finish this match as a winner," Djokovic said.
"I was playing some great tennis yesterday. He found his game late in the third. I had many opportunities to finish the match in straight sets, but credit to Andy.
"He showed why he's one of the biggest competitors and fighters on the tour."
Djokovic's stirring win confirmed his title favouritism after suffering years of heartache in the French capital at the hands of claycourt colossus Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic not only lost the 2012 and 2014 finals to the undisputed king of clay, but also semis against Nadal in 2007, 2008 and 2013 and a quarter-final in 2006, the first of the grand slam giants' record 44 professional encounters.
This time, though, Nadal won't be standing in Djokovic's way in the title match after the world No.1 ended the Spaniard's near-decade-long rule of Roland Garros in a quarter-final demolition job on Monday.
Djokovic leads Wawrinka 17-3 in head-to-head meetings, although the pair's past four grand slam encounters have ended in five-set classics.
Wawrinka ousted Djokovic en route to his first grand slam triumph at last year's Australian Open before succumbing to the world No.1 in a semi-final return bout in Melbourne in January.
Djokovic and Wawrinka both must smash longstanding Roland Garros hoodoos to lift the trophy on Sunday.
Djokovic is striving to become the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to complete the Australian and French Open double in the same season.
Wawrinka, who shattered French hopes for another year with a tense 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 semi-final victory over 14th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, can become the first former junior champion since Mats Wilander in 1982 to also win the men's crown at Roland Garros.
HOW THE MEN'S FRENCH OPEN FINALISTS STACK UP ON SUNDAY'S DECIDER (PREFIX DENOTES SEEDING):
1-NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SRB) leads 8-STAN WAWRINKA 17-3
Djokovic leads 4-1 in grand slams
2015 Australian Open, hard, SF, Djokovic 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4 4-6 6-0
2014 Australian Open, hard, SF, Wawrinka 2-6 6-4 6-2 3-6 9-7
2013 US Open, hard, SF, Djokovic 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-3 6-4
2013 Australian Open, hard, R16, Djokovic 1-6 7-5 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 12-10
2012 US Open, hard, R16, Djokovic 6-4 6-1 3-1 retired
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Age: 28
Born: Belgrade, Serbia
Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Height: 188cm
Weight: 80kg
Ranking: 1
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US78,397,032 ($A100.83 million)
Career titles: 53
Career win-loss record: 645-142
Grand slam titles: 8 (Australian Open 2008, 2011-2013, 2015; Wimbledon 2011, 2014; US Open 2011)
Career grand slam win-loss record: 186-33
French Open win-loss record: 48-10
Best French Open performances: finalist 2012, 2014, 2015
STAN WAWRINKA
Age: 30
Born: Lausanne, Switzerland
Lives: St Barthelemy, Switzerland
Height: 183cm
Weight: 81kg
Ranking: 9
Plays: Right-handed
Career prize money: $US15,790,548 ($A20.31 million)
Career singles titles: 9
Career win-loss record: 365-223
Grand slam titles: 1 (Australian Open 2014)
Career grand slam win-loss record: 88-38
French Open win-loss record: 26-10
Best French Open performance: finalist 2015
Share
