| Friday, 4 July 2008 Written by Kate Battersby The sheer competitive will of Rafael Nadal was in evidence as he fended off a second set challenge to force his way into this year's Wimbledon final. Germany's Rainer Schuettler almost unburdened Nadal of a set but instead was beaten 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. The Spaniard, need it be said, will face Roger Federer in the dream final tennis lovers everywhere have been hoping for. Schuettler, ranked 94 coming in to this tournament, had such low expectations of this Wimbledon that he was actually scheduled to be playing at a Challenger event in Cordoba this week. Only after he defeated the number nine seed James Blake in the second round did he think of making alternative plans, although probably even he was surprised to find himself the first German semi-finalist here since Michael Stich in 1997. Of course, all things are possible but Schuettler came into this match with a mountain to climb. He might be the only active German player to have been a Grand Slam finalist (in Australia 2003 where he lost to Andre Agassi), but he was giving away 10 years and 92 ranking places to the Spaniard. Furthermore, he came in to this match down 1-3 on career jousts against Nadal, having failed to take so much as a set in their last three meetings. For the first 22 minutes today, it appeared horribly as if the most the German might aspire to was an occasional game here and there. Within what seemed moments Nadal was playing immaculate tennis, hitting winners from behind the baseline where he stood sending back all Schuettler's best attempts with interest. It was spine-tingling, so long as your name was not Schuettler. Minutes into the match, Nadal had the double break cushion at 3-0. It was a quarter of an hour before the 22-year-old Majorcan made so much as one unforced error, and it turned out to be his only one of the entire set. Nadal's signature intensity was rampant. When Schuettler gave away break point at the start of the second, it felt already as if the match was all over. The German was chiding himself in his native tongue, ordering himself to move his feet, to be more aggressive, more positive. It seemed to work, as at least he managed to hold. Then quite suddenly Schuettler took the initiative and Nadal – who had lost his serve just three times previously this fortnight – was facing two break points. He served his way out of one but a really marvellous rally saw Schuettler make the conversion, racing to make a splendid crosscourt strike. Smiling, he held to make it three games in a row. Nadal, who had made just that one unforced error in the whole first set, had now come up with seven in the first four games of the second. Schuettler was jubilant, hitting three straight winners to hold for 4-2. Nadal was giving little impression that he could get the break back. At 5-4 came the acid test and in preparation Schuettler brought out a new racket to go with the new balls. They didn't help. He sent a forehand long to give 15-40, and although he screamed at himself once more as he returned to the baseline, Nadal forced the break for 5-5 prompting an extended fist pump from the Spaniard in celebration at the passing of the crisis. Schuettler got his act together sufficiently to take it into the tie-break, but he was facing an opponent who had surrendered a total of five points in the previous three tie-breaks he had played this fortnight. Schuettler was never in it, and a set Nadal came so near to losing was his after all. Dispirited, Schuettler surrendered the early service break once again in the fourth. He played some feisty tennis but Nadal’s eyes were on the prize of the defining Federer final, and nothing could distract his gaze. Schuettler fended off three match points to take the encounter past the two-hour mark but that was as much as he could do. The dream final is on its way. Let battle commence.
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