( CNN ) -- Friday 's French Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic , billed by some as the real final , lived up to the hype . Nadal , ultimately , was the happier man after an epic match that lasted more than four and a half hours on a sweltering day in Paris . The defending champion moved within a match of making it a record extending eight French Open titles by defeating the world No . 1 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-7 9-7 . `` I was ready for the fight , '' Nadal told reporters . Nadal will now be the heavy favorite to beat fourth-seed David Ferrer in Sunday 's all-Spanish final . Ferrer , who cruised past Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 7-6 ( 3 ) 6-2 in the other semifinal to dash local hopes , will be appearing in his maiden grand slam final and has lost 16 consecutive matches on clay against Nadal . Nadal , in his 35th meeting against Djokovic , improved to 5-0 against the Serb at the French Open . But for a while it appeared as if Djokovic would inflict more woe on Nadal in a gripping rematch of last year 's final . Djokovic had topped Nadal in three straight grand slam finals beginning in 2011 , downing him in six hours in the 2012 Australian Open finale . Djokovic led 4-2 in the fifth set -- after Nadal blew a break lead in the second and could n't serve out the match in the fourth . It was just the second time Nadal has been taken to five sets at Roland Garros . `` When I was serving for the match it was against the wind so I knew that it would be a tough game , '' Nadal said . `` It was a similar match to the one in Australia in 2012 and he won . This time it is me that won and that is what makes sport so big . '' The thriller was n't without controversy . With Djokovic leading 4-3 in the fifth and at deuce , he put away a simple smash . Chair umpire Pascal Maria , however , ruled that he touched the net before the ball bounced twice -- giving Nadal the point . Djokovic won the next point to revert to deuce -- instead of holding for 5-3 -- and Nadal eventually broke for 4-4 . `` Who knows what direction the match may have taken if I had won that point , '' Djokovic told reporters . `` On 99.9 per cent of other occasions , I would have got the point . '' Maria earlier gave both players a warning for taking too much time between points . Djokovic was also upset that his request to water the court in the fifth set was denied . He felt the court was too dry . `` I was not asking to water the court because I want to make my opponent trip or do something like that , '' Djokovic said . `` I was doing it for myself , because I felt that it got very dry and it was very slippery . '' Nadal made the better start , gradually taking control of the first set in the hot conditions thought to suit him -- his heavy ground strokes move through the court quicker and his balls bounce higher . With Djokovic spraying shots and Nadal hitting deep , the Spaniard broke for 4-3 . He saw off Djokovic in the opener and seemed headed for a win when he broke again for 3-2 in the second . Not for the first time in the encounter , Nadal would drop his serve in the ensuing game . A rattled Nadal lost four games in succession and the match was level . Nadal stormed to the third set and again held the lead in the fourth . He broke for 4-3 , only to drop serve for 4-4 . Unusually for Nadal , he could n't close out the match when trying to serve it out at 6-5 . As Nadal hit shorter , Djokovic was allowed to step in and crush his ground strokes . A reeling Nadal was broken to start the fifth but rallied , aided by Djokovic erring on several overheads . `` It 's a very special win for me and congratulations to Novak , '' Nadal said . `` He 's a great champion and he is going to win here at Roland Garros one day . '' Ferrer capitalized on apparent nerves from Tsonga in the first set and overturned a 3-0 deficit in the second . Once Ferrer took the second set , Tsonga sagged . Tsonga was bidding to become the first Frenchman in 30 years to win a major .
Rafael Nadal rallies from a break down in the fifth set to beat Novak Djokovic . The French Open semifinal goes to five sets after Nadal fails to serve it out in the fourth . Djokovic was bidding to win his first French Open after topping Nadal in Monte Carlo . Nadal will face David Ferrer in Sunday 's final after compatriot beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga .