Federer skills on show in comeback win into Paris final

Federer skills on show in comeback win into Paris final Paris - Even in a five-set victory Friday, which moved him into his fourth straight French Open final, Roger Federer felt the pain of beaten semi-finalist Juan Del Potro.

"I was sad for him, because he's a young player," the world number two said of the 20-year-old Argentine ranked fifth. "You always think that there aren't that many opportunities, that many chances for younger players.

"I respect him awfully because he made considerable progress, and I'm certain he's going to be a great player in the future."

But while Federer could spare a thought for the danger-man he had just eliminated in three and a half hours, the Swiss player is quietly confident as he goes into the Sunday final against unexpected opponent Robin Soderling of Sweden.

Federer, 27, needs the French title to complete a set of all four majors, and winning the trophy would also pull him level with Pete Sampras on the all-time record of 14 majors.

"It feels great coming through tough matches like this," he said. "It's more emotional. It's more satisfaction, even though I love matches when I can really dominate an opponent.

"There is also a great feeling of coming through not the easy way, showing different qualities. It's not always something I've actually had a chance to show, because matches were over too quickly sometimes.

"It's good for me, so my career hopefully is going to be longer because of those matches, in the long run," said Federer, the winner of 58 singles titles. "I still feel fine, you know. I'm going to rest up tomorrow, practise a little bit, and get ready for the tough final."

Federer, who had to go through five sets this week in the fourth round to put out German Tommy Haas, called his win over Del Potro "a tough match, no doubt.

"He came out of the blocks really strong with his serve and the way he was setting up his shots, especially with his forehand. It was quite a bit of pressure.

"He had the upper hand from the baseline. He was serving better, so he obviously deserved the lead."

But the longer the match lasted, the better Federer's chances became due to his vast big-match experience.

"I was always confident with my physical abilities and my mental abilities that I was going to be able to turn it around in a tough situation. I'm very happy to have made it, once again.

"This is nice because I practice for hours and hours and hours and I don't get tired. To be able to show it also on a match court in a big opportunity like this, it's great."(dpa)