The world second-best tennis player is now solidifying his bid to be among history’s greatest as he advances to his fourth Paris Open final and his 14th career Grand Slam final.

Roger Federer edged out Juan Martin Del Potro in a five-set match that took three hours and 29 minutes.

The Swede shrugged off a slow start to claim a 3-6 7-6 2-6 6-1 6-4 victory over the 20-year-old Argentine. The win will take Federer to the Paris Open final, where he will be met by Robin Soderling, the man who eliminated Rafael Nadal.

It was not an easy path to the final for Federer. He had trouble in each round of the tournament, going through Jose Acasuso, Tommy Haas, and Del Potro. 

Federer had defeated Del Potro in their previous five meetings without having to drop a single set. But this time around things were different. Del Potro was aggressive. His shots often made Federer look underpowered and out winded.

However, Federer dug deep into his shot inventory to find solutions for Del Petro. Federer broke his rhythm by hitting well placed drop shots, forcing Del Potro to attack the net. The 20-year-old’s inexperience began to show in the later stages.

As the game played on, Del Potro began to show signs of fatigue and Federer capitalized by dominating his opponent’s serve.

Now, Federer is just one win away from his first Paris Open title. He is one win away from being the sixth player to complete a sweep of the Major tournaments. He is one win away from moving past Pete Sampras with 15 Grand Slam titles.

“That’s one more step and I am so happy to have comeback like that,” Federer told reporters after the game. “For a moment there Juan Martin was playing so well, but I had some luck on my side and I fought hard.

Soderling played a great match against Gonzalez to be in the final. He deserves to be there because he also beat Nadal and he was the man to beat in this tournament.”