Nadal, Federer set up French Open dream final

The most pressing subject at this year’s French Open has been whether there would be a final match between defending champion Rafael Nadal and the world’s No. 1 player, Roger Federer.

Now we have our answer: Federer and Nadal will meet in the men’s final Sunday. And from all indications, the top two players in the world are as eager to play in the final as fans are to watch them.

Nadal, who had a more routine entry into the final with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) victory over fourth seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, also was looking forward to Sunday. It’s been a long time since the French Open featured a final between the top seeds — 22 years, when Ivan Lendl defeated John McEnroe in 1984.

Sunday’s final also has some history hanging in the balance. If Federer defeats Nadal — not an easy task, considering the Spaniard owns a 5-1 record against Federer — he will complete a noncalendar Grand Slam. Federer won the 2005 Wimbledon and the U.S. Open titles and the 2006 Australian Open.

Only six men in history have won all four Grand Slam titles — Andre Agassi was the last to accomplish the feat when he won here in 1999. Entering the French, Federer, 24, had won all seven Grand Slam finals he reached. He has won 23 consecutive matches at the majors, dating to Wimbledon last year.

As for Nadal, 19, he enters the final with a record of 59 consecutive clay-court victories. The streak includes 23 clay-court matches this year. Federer has lost all three matches against Nadal this year. The most recent was a five-set marathon in Rome, and the first was a more surprising win, because it came on hard courts in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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