Soderling advance to final

Robin Soderling advanced to the French Open final by beating Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 today in a seesaw match.



Soderling let a big lead slip away when he lost his serve in the final game of the third and fourth sets.



The 23rd-seeded Swede fell behind 3-0 and 4-1 in the final set, but down the stretch came up with the kind of shotmaking that helped him upset four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, and he swept the last five games.



On Sunday, Soderling will play the winner of the second semifinal between Number 2 Roger Federer and Number 5 Juan Martin del Potro.



That game is locked at 1-1. Soderling won the first set 6-3, while Federer took the second 7-6.



Federer is trying to complete a career Grand Slam and win his 14th major title, which would tie Pete Sampras\' record.



Meanwhile, top-ranked Dinara Safina and her Russian teammate Svetlana Kuznetsova will contest the women’s final tomorrow.