They made it there the hard way with three-set victories over a pair of former number one-ranked players at the Hamburg Masters Championships, but Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are, once again, the last two standing.
Top-ranked Federer has been in something of a slump over the past three months and a win on Sunday would be a terrific way for him to end his doldrums and go after his first French Open title with a lift in confidence. Federer, a three-time winner in Hamburg, beat 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. in his semifinal match on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Nadal defeated Lleyton Hewitt 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to extend his clay-court winning streak to 81 matches. Nadal, No. 2 in the world, has a 7-3 career record against Federer, including 5-0 on clay. Nadal beat Federer in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters this year and is looking for his fifth title of the year.
Here's my thinking: Nadal is ripe for an upset and Federer has got to be really motivated to win tomorrow.
I'm gonna pick Federer to win in three sets!