Halep in title clash, Sloane holds the Key

Paris: Sloane Stephens maintained her perfect record against fellow American Madison Keys as she blazed into the French Open final with a 6-4, 6-4 win.

In the first all-American Roland Garros semi-final since 2002, the 10th-seeded Stephens stayed composed throughout.

Paris: Rafael Nadal marched into the semifinals of the French Open defeating Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in their rain-delayed match at Roland Garros here on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in the other rain-truncated men quarterfinal match Argentine Del Potro came through a clash of the titans against Marin Cilic to reach his first French Open semifinal in nine years with a 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 verdict.

The women semifinal offered nothing dramatic as world Number One Simona Halep, at her most productive Grand Slam event, breezed past in-form Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-4 in 92 minutes.

Nadal looked out of sorts in damp conditions on Wednesday with Schwartzman leading by a set and a break when the players were first called off court due to rain. Upon resumption, the Spaniard gradually improved before rain brought an early end to the day with Nadal on the brink of winning the second set.

It was a very different story when the contest resumed on Thursday in drier conditions as the 16-times Grand Slam champion Nadal won 12 of the first 13 points before cruising into the last four where will face another Argentine, fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro, for a place in Sunday's final.

Halep’s love affair with Roland Garros continues as the Romanian advanced to her third final in the French capital. With the victory, Halep retains her world No.1 ranking.