Rafael Nadal Dominates Juan Martin del Potro to Reach 2018 French Open Final

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal cruised into the French Open final with a decisive 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win Friday over fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris. 

The Spaniard came out a bit sluggish in the first set and gifted Del Potro six early break-point opportunities, but the Argentine—slowed by an apparent leg injury—wasn't able to capitalize on any of them. 

Nadal cruised after breaking at 5-4 to take the opening frame, and the straight-set triumph allowed him to book a spot in the final against No. 7 seed Dominic Thiem, who defeated Italy's Marco Cecchinato, 7-5, 7-6(10), 6-1 in the day's first semifinal. 

Nadal Continues Recent Dominance of Del Potro 

In 2016, Del Potro claimed a semifinal win against Nadal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 

Since then, Nadal has dominated him—and that may be putting things lightly. 

Although he dropped the first set of their U.S. Open semifinal last year, Nadal has won six straight sets against Del Potro. 

That trend was buoyed by a masterful performance on Friday that saw Nadal best Del Potro in every phase as he bolstered his already unprecedented record at Roland-Garros: 

Most notably, Nadal logged 35 winners compared to 19 unforced errors. Del Potro, meanwhile, managed 20 winners while committing 32 unforced errors. For a player who relies so heavily on his blistering forehand to get ahead, that disparity proved crushing. 

And now, Nadal has a chance to make even more history if he can conquer the stiff challenge that lies ahead. 

Thiem Represents a Legitimate Threat to Nadal's Clay Throne

Nadal's clay-court resume is unparalleled, and there's no doubt he will be the favorite to defeat Thiem on Sunday. 

But that doesn't mean Thiem should be discounted. 

The Austrian hasn't dropped a set over his last two matches, and unlike so many of Nadal's foes, he has a track record of success against the sport's greatest clay court tactician. 

Specifically, Thiem—who is 3-6 lifetime versus Nadal—has defeated the Spaniard three times on clay. In fact, Thiem won the most recent meeting in May when he snatched a straight-sets win over Nadal in the Madrid Open quarterfinals. 

Thiem's other two wins against Nadal came last year in Rome and in 2016 in Buenos Aires. 

"First of all, going into the match with the belief to win, I think that's the most important," Thiem said of his mindset against Nadal, per the Wall Street Journal's Tom Perrotta. "It's tough to do even that because you know you're going to face one of the toughest challenges in sports in general, and I have to play my highest level for three sets. And that's very tough because it doesn't give you one second to breathe."

And while Nadal won their semifinal clash at last year's French Open in dominant fashion—6-3, 6-4, 6-0—it has become clear Thiem can channel the mental fortitude necessary to hang tough. 

What's Next? 

Nadal and Thiem will square off Sunday with a championship hanging in the balance. The Spaniard is eyeing his 11th title at Roland Garros, while Thiem will be participating in his first Grand Slam final.