PARIS -- Sergi Bruguera and Alberto Berasategui pounded away relentlessly from the baseline on Friday to set up a first all-Spanish men's singles final at the French Open. Berasategui, the unseeded Basque with the bizarre forehand, breezed past Swede Magnus Larsson 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory in just 72 minutes. The Swede, also unseeded, was left stranded throughout by Berasategui's whiplash forehands as the Basque emerged as a genuine threat to dethrone Bruguera on Sunday. The Spanish showdown will be only the second meeting in the Paris final between two players from the same country in the last 25 years. Earlier Friday, No. 6 Bruguera won 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 with nagging accuracy on a windswept Center Court. Courier, groping for the consistency that helped him win this tournament in 1991 and 1992, committed 64 unforced errors and eight double-faults, to only 29 and one for his opponent. Bruguera said his five-set victory over Courier last year was more difficult. "I controlled the match better this time," he said. "I was feeling I had more power than him, I could move him around." Bruguera reached the semifinal without losing a set. Courier, though not as dominant, played well in a four-set victory over top-seeded Pete Sampras in a quarterfinal Tuesday. In the first set, Courier double-faulted twice in the third game as Bruguera broke for a 2-1 lead. Bruguera broke again in the ninth game to take the set. In the second set, Courier committed four straight unforced errors to give Bruguera a 3-1 lead that the Spaniard soon extended to 5-2. But Courier suddenly found his rhythm, broke Bruguera for the first time to pull within 5-4 and took the set by winning five straight games. Both players were erratic in the third set. Bruguera broke Courier for a 3-1 lead and Courier immediately broke back, only to lose his serve again in the sixth game. Trailing 4-2, Courier got a break point, but couldn't convert. Bruguera served out the set, and headed toward victory by breaking Courier again in the first game of the fourth set. In the last game, Courier double-faulted, then hit two groundstrokes long to lose the match. (AP,Reuters)
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