13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal advanced to the final after 3rd seed Alexander Zeverev withdrew from the semifinal due to injury on Friday.
Zeverev made a superb start in the first set and broke Nadal's serve early but the 36-year-old champion showed who is the boss of clay court, pushing the first set into a tie-breaker and finally clinched it 7-6 (10-8).
After a 98-minute first set, the second set too went down the wire and Zeverev had to withdraw himself out at 6-6 after he twisted his ankle during the 12th game. Zeverev cried in pain and agony as he was taken out of the court in a wheelchair.
It was a sad end to a match which could have been regarded as one of the classics in tennis given the winner of the second set was not decided even after 3 hours of play.
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Rafael Nadal will now clash with Casper Ruud on Sunday with an eye on his 14th French Open title and 22nd Grand Slam title.