Djokovic one step away from title

Novak Djokovic worked his way back into the French Open final, taking care of Ernests Gulbis and his big serve 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on the first sunny day of this year’s tournament.

The Serb will face Spain’s Rafael Nadal who will play in the French Open title for the ninth time after beating Andy Murray 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

Djokovic was able to control the pace of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier while letting Gulbis’ unforced errors mount. The powerful Latvian, who was playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, finished with 44 errors.

Djokovic is a six-time major champion who needs to win the title at the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

He also reached the final at Roland Garros in 2012, but lost to eight-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, meanwhile, jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the start and was never troubled by the Wimbledon champion on Court Philippe Chatrier, the stadium Nadal calls his favourite place to play.

Nadal won four straight titles at Roland Garros before losing in the fourth round in 2009. He has since won four more in a row, and this year improved his record to 65-1 at the French Open, including a record 34 straight wins.

Nadal will retain his number-one ranking if he beats Djokovic in the final. Otherwise, Djokovic will move back to the top.