Spanish grit prevailed at Roland Garros on Wednesday as defending men's champion Albert Costa and the player he beat to win last year's French Open final, Juan Carlos Ferrero, clawed their way through to a semi-final rematch.
Ninth seed Costa displayed his staying power once again as he overcame fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 2-6 3-6 6-4 7-5 6-2 in an enthralling quarter-final. Ferrero, seeded three, ousted Chile's Fernando Gonzalez also in five sets, 6-1 3-6 6-1 5-7 6-4.
The pair will meet in the last four on Friday, guaranteeing Spain a finalist at Roland Garros for the third successive year. In the other semi-final unseeded Dutchman Martin Verkerk takes on Argentine seventh seed Guillermo Coria.
Costa's compelling victory was his fourth five-set win in five matches here and it was the third time the bullish Spaniard had recovered from two sets down to triumph -- a French Open record.
"Robredo was killing me and hitting the ball so hard. But I still had something to show and changed my game and I changed perfectly," he said.
"I am very proud. The truth is this was an incredible match, one of the toughest of my life."
Costa strong-armed his way past Robredo after the 21-year-old, conqueror of Lleyton Hewitt and Gustavo Kurten earlier in the tournament, had audaciously taken a two-set lead with some sublime tennis.
But Robredo bagan to tire in his first grand slam quarter-final and Costa, prowling panther-like at the back of the court, went on the attack to seize the next two sets.
In the decider, the momentum was all with the 27-year-old defending champion as Robredo's mental and physical defences crumbled.
Costa toyed with his opponent and claimed victory with ruthless precision, combining vicious baseline winners with delicate drop shots and lobs.
He has spent 18 hours and 31 minutes on court in reaching the semi-finals, playing a total of 227 games. Last year he required only 19 hours and 37 minutes and 250 games to win the entire tournament.
A shell-shocked Robredo said: "He made a great comeback. I can only congratulate him. I think he won because at the end of the match he was better than me, simple as that."
Ferrero, who has never failed to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros in his four appearances, had almost as much trouble against the promising Gonzalez.
The Chilean had beaten Ferrero in both their previous encounters and was aiming to become only the second man from his country to reach a grand slam semi-final since tennis turned professional in 1968.
Gonzalez, five months younger than 23-year-old Ferrero, reached the US Open quarter-finals last year and he twice responded to losing a set 6-1 by taking the next set.
But with shadows creeping across the sun-bathed centre court, Ferrero exploited his greater experience in the fifth set.
Gonzalez bravely saved five match points before the Spaniard claimed a sapping victory in three hours 29 minutes, one minute longer than Costa's match.
More from rediff