Lucie Safarova has booked her place in the French Open final after toughing out a straight-sets win over Ana Ivanovic.
The left-hander was overpowered by Ivanovic in the early stages but she took the final five games of the first set to open up an advantage against the former world number one.
Safarova couldn't hold her nerve when given her first chance to serve for a place in her first Grand Slam final, but after breaking Ivanovic for the fourth time in the match, she finally sealed the win in just under two hours.
Read below to see how the action unfolded in Paris.
Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the French Open semi-final between Ana Ivanovic and Lucie Safarova.
When the draw was made for this year's Roland Garros, few would have expected a semi-final involving Ivanovic and Safarova but both players are fully deserving of their place in the last four after producing some of their best form of the year. Ivanovic is a former winner in Paris but Safarova is yet to drop a set in five matches and will be confident of booking a place in her first Grand Slam final.
The winner of this match will go on to face either Serena Williams or Timea Bacsinszky in Saturday's final. Sports Mole will be covering that contest straight after the conclusion of this match.
Before we get started on Philippe Chatrier, let's take a quick look at the head-to-head record. It's Safarova who has had the better of their meetings, holding a 5-3 advantage, while she also scored a straight-sets win over Ivanovic at Roland Garros 12 months ago. That came in the third round so both players have improved significantly to make this stage of the tournament.
The warmups have been completed and we are ready to go. This could be a close one!
It's an excellent start from Ivanovic, who holds to 15 with the help of a baseline winner and an ace.
BREAK! Safarova also begins well to race to 30-0 but a couple of mistakes let in Ivanovic at 30-30. The former world number one looks focused at the start of this contest and she forces the error out of Safarova to earn break point. It's saved with an ace but Ivanovic creates a second chance with a thunderous forehand down the line. Safarova looks in charge of the next rally but Ivanovic comes up with an awkward backhand that Safarova volleys wide.
After the opening two points are shared, Safarova gets a look at a second serve but Ivanovic responds sharply to get to 30-15. The Serbian follows that by drilling a forehand winner into the corner before another solid is sealed with a big first serve.
Better from Safarova, who powers an inside-out forehand into the corner for 30-0 before she repels some heavy hitting from her opponent to earn three game points. A love hold is completed when Ivanovic blasts a return long of the baseline.
This is as good as Ivanovic has played in some time. A crushing baseline winner is followed by two aces and although she loses a lengthy exchange on the next point, she holds to 15 for the third successive service game.
Safarova starts with an ace before she outlasts Ivanovic is a high-quality rally that ends with a huge winner into the corner. Ivanovic gets some good fortune with a net cord to halve the deficit and a double fault from Safarova sees the score progress to 30-30. The Czech hands Ivanovic two opportunities to seal a second break but on both occasions, her first comes up trumps. A third opening for Ivanovic also goes begging and Safarova is eventually able to hold. That could prove to be an important game.
After easing into a 30-0 lead, Ivanovic has an easy forehand for 40-0 but she hooks it wide to give Safarova half a chance. She regains control at 40-15 but Safarova comes up with two powerful returns - the second of which is quite incredible - to get back to deuce. Ivanovic looks mentally tuned in this afternoon though and she takes the next two points to move within a game of the set.
The wind appears to have picked up at Roland Garros and it plays its part in Safarova committing a double fault for 15-15. The left-hander is warming into this, however, and two crowd-pleasing winners take her to within a point of the game, which she takes when Ivanovic nets a return.
BREAK! At 0-15, Safarova gets a look at a second serve but she blazes a backhand just long of the mark. However, after firing a forehand winner, she creates two break points after Ivanovic nets. The first is saved but Safarova middles a return before being given the chance to put away an easy smash. We are back on serve on Philippe Chatrier.
Safarova makes an unforced error to allow Ivanovic to get back to 15-15, before the former world number reaches 30-30 courtesy of a testing drive volley. Big point coming up, but what a response from Safarova, who fires an ace out wide. The game is secured when Ivanovic goes just wide with a return.
BREAK! Ivanovic is getting twitchy on serve and starts the 11th game of this match with a double fault. A second follows to give Safarova a look at 15-30 and it's more two break points for Safarova after the Serbian blasts the ball into the net. Safarova is all over the next return and just like that, she will serve for the first set.
SET! Oh wow. Ivanovic plays the perfect point before dumping the easiest of backhand volleys into the net. That's going to do her confidence no good at all. Safarova moves to 30-0 with a big forehand winner before three set points are created with an ace down the middle. The Czech only needs the one as Ivanovic sends a return long.
It's imperative that Ivanovic stops the rot and she does so in emphatic fashion with a hold to 15 which is completed with a cross-court forehand winner.
Like the opening set, Ivanovic has started off the more impressive of the two and the errors are beginning to come from Safarova. She misses out on two game points before Ivanovic earns a break point with a beautiful shot off the ground. That goes begging though, as does a second opening, and Safarova comes through with the hold.
BREAK! Safarova is pumped after that last game, and Ivanovic feels the pressure in committing a double fault to start the game. That's followed with a baseline winner before Ivanovic goes long with a forehand. Safarova has three break points and this would be huge in the context of the match. The first is saved but on the second, Ivanovic slices wide and Safarova has the advantage.
Safarova is playing some inspired tennis right now and he advances to 30-0 with a backhand winner from the baseline.That's followed with a booming forehand that wrong-foots the Serbian, who then hooks a shot wide. This is slipping away from the former world number one.
Ivanovic shows some fight in reaching 30-15 but she is struggling to contain the power of Safarova, who drills yet another winner into the corner. It's 30-30, and another double fault from Ivanovic gives her opponent a look at the double break. Credit to Ivanovic though, who reels off three successive points to hold. She needed that.
Ivanovic looks rejuvenated after reaching 0-30 thanks to a double fault and forehand winner, but she is desperately disappointed with a weak backhand into the net. Safarova then produces a out-swinging first serve that is miscued by Ivanovic before the Serbian frames a backhand from the back of the court. Safarova misses two chances to seal the game but on the third opening, Ivanovic nets a forehand. She may rue that opportunity.
At times, Safarova's hitting has been phenomenal but when finding her best form, Ivanovic has matched her and two winners help her keep hold of her serve.
Ivanovic has chances to win one or both of the first two points, but she takes neither and Safarova has 30-0. The Czech sees her deficit halved when she goes long, but another devastating winner sees her open up two game points. Ivanovic shows excellent resilience though, saving both points before surviving a third thanks to a huge forehand from the baseline. She can't save the fourth as Safarova peppers her with shots from all angles and she is one game away from her first Grand Slam final.
The door is slightly ajar at 0-15 but Ivanovic is made of stern stuff and powers back to 30-15. Safarova's hitting is ruthless though and a forehand winner takes her to within two points of the final. Back comes Ivanovic with a winner of her own before she confirms the hold with a huge serve down the middle.
BREAK! This is the biggest game of Safarova's career. How will she handle it? It's not a great start as she commits a double fault before she sprays a routine forehand wide of the target. Safarova risks a 141kmph second serve and it pays off to halve the deficit before she wrong-foots the Serbian with a forehand for 30-30. However, a double fault hands Ivanovic a break point but the former world number one drills a forehand return off a second serve into the net. It's a shocker. Safarova creates a match point after prevailing from a lengthy baseline rally but it's followed by her third double fault of the game! She then misses with a backhand inside the court to hand another break point to Ivanovic but again, she nets a potential winner! What drama. A third break point is created with a stunning forehand down the line but Safarova saves it with a smash. This is incredible stuff. Ivanovic is relishing this far more than Safarova and she over-powers her opponent to bring up a fourth opening for the break and on this occasion, she takes it when Safarova catches the net to help the ball go wide.
BREAK! Safarova needs to put that previous game to the back of her mind and she appears to have done just that with a blistering return winner. She moves to 15-30 but what a remarkable response from Ivanovic, who crushes a backhand winner into the corner. It's equally as good from Safarova though, and after driving a huge forehand down the line, she takes the break point when Ivanovic goes wide. Safarova's going to serve for a place in the final for a second time!
MATCH! Safarova starts tentatively and Ivanovic takes full advantage with an emphatic forehand winner. The seventh seed has a chance for 0-30 but she blazes a return miles long. Safarova has 30-15 when Ivanovic hits a tame backhand into the net, which turns into two match points with a backhand winner. Is this her moment? It is! Ivanovic saves the first but a one-two off her serve finally gets the job done.
She didn't seal the match with the confidence that she would have hoped, but Lucie Safarova won't care - she's through to her first ever Grand Slam final. Ivanovic played solidly enough but she was made to pay for her mid-match lull. That's all from Sports Mole for this match but we will see you again shortly for the contest between Serena Williams and Timea Bacsinszky.
