Kuerten rocks Ferrero

Ferrero thought he had the game sewn up in the fourth set

Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (Sp) 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

Pre-tournament favourite Gustavo Kuerten is into the French Open final - but only after a huge scare from little known Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Brazilian Kuerten looked to be on his way out when he was two sets to one down and a break down in the fourth, but he clung on and turned the match around to win 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

It was the second match in a row he had clawed his way back from an improbable position after a similar story in the quarter-final against Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

He needed his trainer twice and a back rub in the fourth set did the trick as he broke Ferrero's serve.

Kuerten, second in the ATP Champions Race standings, has now set up a mouth-watering final clash against Sweden's Magnus Norman, who currently tops the list.

Kuerten has another chance at an Open title

Ferrero, the 16th seed, just 20-years-old and playing in only his third Grand Slam tournament, looked to be heading for his first final.

He had rocked Kuerten early on with some fantastic power shots.

But somehow the fifth seed found a way to come back for a memorable victory.

It was the first time the two men had faced each other and it was an epic encounter, lasting three hours and 38 minutes.

Kuerten, who won the French Open title in 1997, will relish the final against Norman, who he beat in the Hamburg Masters quarter-final last month.