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Rome - Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No 2 Novak Djokovic will resume their budding rivalry in the Italian Open final on Sunday.
Nadal overcame a stiff first-set challenge from Richard Gasquet before rolling to a 7-5, 6-1 win in the semi-finals on Saturday and Djokovic was pushed to the limit in a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2) victory over fourth-ranked Andy Murray, extending his unbeaten streak to 38 matches.
Djokovic beat Nadal in title matches in Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year, then also won in Madrid last weekend, his first victory over the Spaniard on clay.
This tournament is another key clay warm-up for the French Open, which starts next weekend.
"Every aspect of the game will be important," Nadal said. "I know Djokovic is playing at an exceptional level right now but I just have to fight to the end like I always do. If I don't beat him tomorrow, then the next match.
"I'll probably play with less pressure than before because I (am no longer) the favorite," added Nadal, who should be much fresher physically.
Nadal has won this tournament five of the last six years and owns a 31-1 record at the Foro Italico. Djokovic has won all 36 of his matches this year, trailing only John McEnroe's 42-0 start in 1984.
In the women's final, Maria Sharapova will meet last year's French Open runner-up Sam Stosur.
Sharapova outslugged top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 and Stosur beat fourth-seeded Li Na of China 7-6 (8/6), 6-0.
Murray was unable to hold serve in the opening set, which Djokovic dominated with the help of an effective spinning drop shot.
In the second set, Murray began to win the longer points, taking a key break to go up 5-3 when Djokovic netted a backhand to conclude a tense rally in which neither player was taking much risk.
Murray served for the third set at 5-4 but double faulted to let Djokovic back into the match even though the Serb was in apparent physical trouble - stretching his legs between points. Murray then fell apart in the tiebreaker.
Nadal faced break points in three different games during the opening set but won all of them to improve his career record against Gasquet to 9-0.
"It was a complicated situation on my serve in the (first set) but I managed to pull through," Nadal said. "I'm happy to make the final after a difficult week."
Nadal said he no longer has a fever or any pain from a virus that slowed him earlier this week.
"Every day I'm playing better after that disastrous first day," Nadal said, referring to his three-set win over Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi in his opener. "I'm happy with my clay-court season. How I'm playing in the last couple of matches is the way forward, more aggressively."
Despite the loss, the 16th-seeded Gasquet should take some confidence into the French Open, which starts next weekend. The Frenchman eliminated Roger Federer in the third round and beat seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.
"It was a fantastic tournament for him," Nadal said. "I'm happy to see him back at his best. He's a good friend."
Before he appeared to run out of energy, Gasquet gave Nadal some trouble with a varied game plan - flattening out his elegant one-handed backhand for winners but also coming forward to conclude points at the net.
However, at 5-5 in the first set, a couple of short balls from Gasquet allowed Nadal to take control. On Nadal's first break point of the set, Gasquet followed a serve out wide to the net and Nadal hit a backhand cross-court return winner to take a 6-5 lead, then served it out.
The seventh-seeded Sharapova will be playing her second final of the year, having fallen to Victoria Azarenka in Miami in March. In addition to her father, Yuri, Sharapova began working with a new coach - former Swedish pro Thomas Hogstedt - at the start of the year.
"Every year I feel better and better (on clay)," Sharapova said, adding that she also recovers quicker now between tough matches on the surface.
Early in the second set, Sharapova fell stomach-first to the clay chasing down a shot. That point gave Wozniacki a 2-0 lead, but Sharapova eventually won the final five games and raised both arms to the sky and let out a big smile after landing a forehand return winner on her first match point.
Stosur hadn't reached a final since losing to Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros last year, which she said affected her psyche.
"I was very disappointed and I had to look at the positive side because I had a very good tournament as well but, at that time, it is not always easy to see those things," Stosur said. "I have played some good matches and tournaments in the past 12 months but I just was not able to get the last bit again so, now that I am better, I am excited to be there."
Results from the seventh day of the ATP/WTA Italian Masters on Saturday (x denotes seeding):
Men
Semi-finals
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x16) 7-5, 6-1
Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Andy Murray (GBR x4) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2)
Women
Semi-finals
Maria Sharapova (RUS x7) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1) 7-5, 6-3
Samantha Stosur (AUS x6) bt Li Na (CHN x4) 7-6 (8/6), 6-0
Nadal overcame a stiff first-set challenge from Richard Gasquet before rolling to a 7-5, 6-1 win in the semi-finals on Saturday and Djokovic was pushed to the limit in a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2) victory over fourth-ranked Andy Murray, extending his unbeaten streak to 38 matches.
Djokovic beat Nadal in title matches in Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year, then also won in Madrid last weekend, his first victory over the Spaniard on clay.
This tournament is another key clay warm-up for the French Open, which starts next weekend.
"Every aspect of the game will be important," Nadal said. "I know Djokovic is playing at an exceptional level right now but I just have to fight to the end like I always do. If I don't beat him tomorrow, then the next match.
"I'll probably play with less pressure than before because I (am no longer) the favorite," added Nadal, who should be much fresher physically.
Nadal has won this tournament five of the last six years and owns a 31-1 record at the Foro Italico. Djokovic has won all 36 of his matches this year, trailing only John McEnroe's 42-0 start in 1984.
In the women's final, Maria Sharapova will meet last year's French Open runner-up Sam Stosur.
Sharapova outslugged top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 and Stosur beat fourth-seeded Li Na of China 7-6 (8/6), 6-0.
Murray was unable to hold serve in the opening set, which Djokovic dominated with the help of an effective spinning drop shot.
In the second set, Murray began to win the longer points, taking a key break to go up 5-3 when Djokovic netted a backhand to conclude a tense rally in which neither player was taking much risk.
Murray served for the third set at 5-4 but double faulted to let Djokovic back into the match even though the Serb was in apparent physical trouble - stretching his legs between points. Murray then fell apart in the tiebreaker.
Nadal faced break points in three different games during the opening set but won all of them to improve his career record against Gasquet to 9-0.
"It was a complicated situation on my serve in the (first set) but I managed to pull through," Nadal said. "I'm happy to make the final after a difficult week."
Nadal said he no longer has a fever or any pain from a virus that slowed him earlier this week.
"Every day I'm playing better after that disastrous first day," Nadal said, referring to his three-set win over Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi in his opener. "I'm happy with my clay-court season. How I'm playing in the last couple of matches is the way forward, more aggressively."
Despite the loss, the 16th-seeded Gasquet should take some confidence into the French Open, which starts next weekend. The Frenchman eliminated Roger Federer in the third round and beat seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.
"It was a fantastic tournament for him," Nadal said. "I'm happy to see him back at his best. He's a good friend."
Before he appeared to run out of energy, Gasquet gave Nadal some trouble with a varied game plan - flattening out his elegant one-handed backhand for winners but also coming forward to conclude points at the net.
However, at 5-5 in the first set, a couple of short balls from Gasquet allowed Nadal to take control. On Nadal's first break point of the set, Gasquet followed a serve out wide to the net and Nadal hit a backhand cross-court return winner to take a 6-5 lead, then served it out.
The seventh-seeded Sharapova will be playing her second final of the year, having fallen to Victoria Azarenka in Miami in March. In addition to her father, Yuri, Sharapova began working with a new coach - former Swedish pro Thomas Hogstedt - at the start of the year.
"Every year I feel better and better (on clay)," Sharapova said, adding that she also recovers quicker now between tough matches on the surface.
Early in the second set, Sharapova fell stomach-first to the clay chasing down a shot. That point gave Wozniacki a 2-0 lead, but Sharapova eventually won the final five games and raised both arms to the sky and let out a big smile after landing a forehand return winner on her first match point.
Stosur hadn't reached a final since losing to Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros last year, which she said affected her psyche.
"I was very disappointed and I had to look at the positive side because I had a very good tournament as well but, at that time, it is not always easy to see those things," Stosur said. "I have played some good matches and tournaments in the past 12 months but I just was not able to get the last bit again so, now that I am better, I am excited to be there."
Results from the seventh day of the ATP/WTA Italian Masters on Saturday (x denotes seeding):
Men
Semi-finals
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x16) 7-5, 6-1
Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Andy Murray (GBR x4) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2)
Women
Semi-finals
Maria Sharapova (RUS x7) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1) 7-5, 6-3
Samantha Stosur (AUS x6) bt Li Na (CHN x4) 7-6 (8/6), 6-0
