Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will face each other in a record fourth straight grand slam final after the world number one gained revenge for last year's semi-final defeat by Roger Federer with a 6-4 7-5 6-3 victory at Roland Garros.
Never before have the same two men contested all the major finals in succession, but it would have been a surprise if it was any other way, although Federer certainly had his chances in a wind-affected match.
More history will be on the line on Sunday, with Nadal, who thrashed David Ferrer 6-2 6-2 6-1, going for a record seventh French Open title while Djokovic is bidding to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four titles at once.
Djokovic and Federer faced off in a classic semi-final last year, which the Swiss player won to leave his rival one short of tying John McEnroe's record start to a season of 42 straight victories.
Neither player came into the match playing at anything like the same level - Djokovic surviving two five-setters against Andreas Seppi and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his last two matches and Federer fighting back from two sets down to defeat Juan Martin Del Potro.
The quality of this match certainly did not rival that one, but it was not short on drama, particularly in a second set full of twists and turns.
Federer had made the first move in the opener, breaking in the fifth game with a thumping forehand winner, but he gave the advantage straight back and then dropped his serve to hand Djokovic the set.
Federer came out firing at the start of the second, breaking Djokovic from 40-0 up in the opening game, including winning a stunning 36-shot rally that had the crowd on their feet.
The third seed looked in total control when he broke again for 3-0 but he promptly gave his serve away and from there things got tight.
He had three chances to move 5-2 ahead but he could not take them, although Djokovic was slightly fortunate on one point that a line call was overruled.
The Serb then levelled at 4-4 only for Federer to break for the third time in the set with two superb backhands down the line.
But he had looked shaky on serve all match and it was no real surprise when Djokovic broke again, or that the world number one made it three games in a row to win the set.
And there was no way back for Federer from there, with Djokovic breaking in the sixth game of the decider and clinching victory on his second match point.
An unforced error count of 46 from Federer compared to 17 from his opponent told the story, and Djokovic will now attempt to do to Nadal in Paris what he has done in London, New York and Melbourne, although this would certainly be the best of the lot.
The Serbian, who saved four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday, is still not entirely happy with his form, and he said: "I think I would really want myself not to have the downs that I had at the beginning of the second set.
"But I regrouped mentally and I came back. That's really a positive, especially when you come back from a double break down. Against a player like Federer, it is a great achievement."
When asked his views on Sunday's match, Federer declared Nadal to be the "overwhelming favourite", and Djokovic conceded his rival is indeed in the driving seat.
The 25-year-old said: "He's the favourite, definitely. But it's a final so I think it's unpredictable what's going to happen because we are top two players, and we have played so many times the last year and a half in so many finals. I believe in myself. I think I have a chance."
Federer had been open about the fact he had struggled to find his rhythm all fortnight but he felt he had got his tactics right today despite the high error count.
He said: "I wondered about many things but there comes a time when you have to stop asking yourself questions and play, which is what I tried to do.
"What's certain is that, given the conditions, I tried to be aggressive. It's more complicated. Even more the case on clay.
"I had opportunities, I missed them, even though I didn't play badly on the break points. But then it's on my serve. When I was serving, I didn't manage to play better. It was tough.
"It was difficult to attack. I could have waited a little but if I were to do this, I was playing for him. I was not here to play a good match but to win the match, so I had to hit the shots. It was a bit disappointing today."
