Following a great semifinal round that saw Rafael Nadal take down World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer upend Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2013 Men's French Open Final is set. A tournament that saw plenty of action involving many of the world's best players, this year's French Open certainly did not disappoint. JW Tsonga's upset of Roger Federer in the quarterfinals was one of the most exciting matches this season while the highly anticipated semifinal between Nadal and Djokovic lived up to the hype and more.
When and Where to Watch 2013 Men's Final
As Rafael Nadal goes for his fourth-consecutive French title against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, Roland Garros will surely see a great match between two worthy opponents.
The men's Final is set for Sunday, June 9th. Coverage of the championship will begin at 9:00am, EDT on the NBC television network. An on-line live stream of the match will also be available by visiting NBC Sports Live Extra.
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Semifinal Recap - No. 3 Rafael Nadal
In a match that had the feel of a final, No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Rafael Nadal gave fans in attendance at Roland Garros one heck of a show. Expected to be close, the match went the full five sets before Rafa Nadal was finally able to survive.
Both players controlled their service games through parts of the morning and in something of a back and forth opening set, Rafa Nadal claimed the early advantage with a 6-4 victory. Not going away quietly against an opponent he's struggled against in recent years, Novak Djokovic took the second set 6-3, evening the match a one game apiece while providing tremendous theatre to those in attendance and the millions more watching on television.
Rafa took down Novak in last year's French Final 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 and everyone watching the 2013 semifinals knew how motivated Novak Djokovic was to win the French Open.
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Though he dropped the third set 1-6, Djokovic set himself up with a chance to win the match in five sets as he took the fourth frame in impressive and determined fashion, 7-6 (7-3 in tiebreak points). Down 2-1 heading into the fourth, Joko knew he couldn't afford to get into another early hole and despite some struggles with his game midway through the match, the World No. 1 player had enough juice to even the semifinals at 4 games, setting up a dream scenario for tennis fans everywhere with a fifth and decisive set.
Nadal won four-straight French titles from 2005 to 2008 as well as the last three tournaments at Roland Garros and with a 19-15 career record against Djokovic that includes a 4-0 mark in this tournament, history was certainly on the side of Nadal but that didn't mean the six-time Grand Slam champion would go down without a fight.
The fifth set turned into one of the best series of games in recent memory as both contestants exchanged leads, service breaks and winners, extending the fifth set into extra games. Leading 8-7 late in the match Rafa Nadal was able to win off serve, closing out an epic match while setting himself up with a chance to win an unprecedented eight French Open title.
Semifinal Recap - No. 4 David Ferrer
Friday's second semifinal between No. 4 David Ferrer and No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was not as eventful as the previous semi. Looking to advance to his first Grand Slam final, David Ferrer closed the first set in timely fashion, blowing through his seemingly outmatched opponent 6-1. Tsonga attempted to gain some momentum in the second, taking a quick 2-0 lead, but the resolve of Ferrer was simply too much.
Fighting back to even the second frame at five-all, the 31-year-old Spaniard took a 2-0 set advantage by closing out JWT 7-6 (7-3 tiebreaker) and then finished off the man who took down Roger Federer in the quarterfinals 6-2 in the third and final set.
Ferrer was previously 0-5 in Grand Slam semifinal matches and as he enters Sunday's final yet to drop a set in 6 French Open matches, Ferrer is ready for the challenge fellow Spaniard Rafa Nadal poses.
"I am not tired," Ferrer said to ESPN after the win. "This is very important playing against Rafa, because I need to be 100 percent to do well against him."
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Final Wrap-Up
As both players aim to make history, Rafa Nadal puts his 21-match win streak on the line while David Ferrer looks to keep his perfect streak going in this year's tournament.
Will Rafa Nadal win his eighth French title or will David Ferrer win his first major?
Find out on Sunday, June 9th at 9:00am, EDT. Coverage of the final will be available through the NBC Television network. An on-line live stream will also be offered by NBC Sports Live Extra.
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