2010 French Open Semifinal Results: Rafael Nadal Moves Past Jurgen Melzer In Straight Sets, Will Face Soderling In Final

Rafael Nadal will be back in his accustomed place in the finals at the French Open, after dispatching No. 22 Jurgen Melzer in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). Nadal has not dropped a set throughout the fortnight at Roland Garros.

Nadal raced out through the first two sets rather easily, taking advantage of the 29-year old Meltzer’s aggressive play at the net with a barrage of topspin-heavy passing shots, but got bogged down in a tight set third set. Nadal had a chance to serve for the match at 5-4 in the third, but Melzer broke him at love, eventually forcing a tiebreak. Nadal showed some uncharacteristic nerves, double-faulting and missing an overhead, but managed to keep his streak of not dropping a set at Roland Garros this tournament alive.

Nadal will meet No. 5 Robin Soderling in the final on Sunday, in a rematch of last year’s shocking fourth-round match that saw Soderling become the first -- and only -- man to ever defeat Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros. The hard-hitting Swede is making a repeat appearance in the finals, after succumbing to Roger Federer last year, and is looking for his first career Grand Slam title.

If Nadal wins, he will not only capture what would be his fifth French Open title, but also retake the top spot in the world rankings from his rival Roger Federer, who is one week shy of tying Pete Sampras’ all-time record for most weeks ranked No. 1 in the world. Should Federer lose the top spot, it might be quite awhile before he takes it back given the way the rankings work, as Federer has more points to “defend” this year than Nadal does after the Spaniard missed a good portion of last year with injury.