ROME, (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic will clash at the Rome Masters in another dream showpiece on clay after winning their semi-finals yesterday in vastly different circumstances with the French Open just over a week away.
World number one Nadal reached his sixth consecutive final this year after brushing aside Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-1 but second seed Djokovic was forced to scrap for his victory.
The Serb won a late-night third-set tie-break to beat his British opponent 6-1 3-6 7-6 in an exhilarating three-hour encounter to stretch his unbeaten run this year to 36 matches.
“It was a fantastic match and whoever saw it knows how close it was,” said second seed Djokovic, who has won six straight
