Spurs beat Heat in steamy conditions 43 SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2014 SATURDAY, SportsSports

PARIS: General view taken yesterday in Paris shows Great Britain’s playing against Spain’s (inset left) during their French Open semi-final match at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris . (Inset right) Serbia’s reacts after a point during his French tennis Open semi-final match against ’s Ernests Gulbis yesterday. — AFP Djokovic and Nadal face off Nadal crushes Murray, books final

PARIS: The world’s top two players, Rafael Nadal and Novak years of coming here and to be back in the final for the ninth time hope, and it became an even steeper mountain to climb for him Djokovic, will contest tomorrow’s French Open final following the - it’s something I never believed would happen in my life. when he dropped serve for the third time to put Nadal 5-2 up. Spaniard’s 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 centre court demolition of Andy Murray “He (Djokovic) is an unbelievable opponent. He is always a big The Majorcan duly pocketed the set by serving out to love and yesterday. Earlier Djokovic had won through his semi-final with a challenge and I need to play at my very best. He beat me the last such was the one-sided nature of the contest that there was no 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Ernests Gulbis Of Latvia. Top seed and few times we played.” Nadal was aware that the last time he sign of Murray’s habitual angry outbursts aimed at getting him- eight-time winner Nadal now stands just one win away from played Murray-on clay in Rome last month-the Scot won the first self going. becoming the first man to take the French Open title five times in set 6-1, before losing in three. This time it was a very different sce- The outcome looked a formality and when Nadal broke the a row, surpassing Bjorn Borg. He also is on the cusp of a 14th nario as the Spaniard, who turned 28 on Tuesday, hit the deck Murray serve for the fourth time to lead 2-1 in the third the end title, which would put him level at second best on the running, winning the first three games in just 10 minutes and for was in sight for the 27-year-old Scot. It came 18 minutes later all-time list with Pete Sampras and three behind . the loss of just three points. Murray finally opened his account, when a dispirited Murray lost serve for the fifth and final time. The Murray failed in his bid to become the first British player to but the one break of serve was enough for Nadal to take the first win brought Nadal’s formidable record on the claycourts at contest the French Open final since Bunny Austin 77 years ago set 6-3. Roland Garros, since making his debut in 2005, to 65 wins against and will now turn his attention to defending his Wimbledon It was another storming start to the second set from Nadal the one loss, conceded to Robin Soderling of Sweden in a fourth crown. It was his worst loss to Nadal in nine Grand Slam match- who bludgeoned two big forehand winners past Murray to set up round tie in 2009. And it meant that he has now won 20 of the 23 ups between the two, surpassing the nine games he managed in breakpoint which he took when the seventh seed weakly hit a Grand Slam semi-finals he has contested in his career, the last the 2008 Wimbledon quarter-finals. “I think that today I played high forehand wide. Murray was failing to make any impression time he lost in the last four being against Juan Martin del Potro at my best tennis at Roland Garros this year,” said Nadal. “After 10 on the Nadal serve with not a single break point offering him any the 2009 US Open. — AFP