Top seed Roger Federer and world number two Rafael Nadal will renew their thrilling rivalry when they clash in the Rome Masters final on Sunday.
Federer had to win a third-set tiebreaker to beat Argentina's David Nalbandian 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) while defending champion Nadal cruised into the final with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Frenchman Gael Monfils.
The Spaniard's 77-minute win took his clay court record to 16-0 in 2006 while victory on Sunday will pull him level with Gullermo Vilas on 53 straight clay-court wins, a mark set in 1977.
Sunday's best-of-five-set showdown will be a replay of last month's Monte Carlo Masters title match, which Nadal won - his fourth win in five meetings with the Swiss.
But the 19-year-old Nadal, the reigning French Open champion, continues to respect his Swiss rival.
"He's still the number one. He's playing well and is into this final. I've beaten him before but this will be another day," said Nadal.
"I'm well-prepared. I played a complete and serious match. It was a good preparation for me. I didn't make too many errors and I'm ready for the final and looking forward to it." Federer, who lost the 2003 edition at the Foro Italico to Spain's Felix Mantilla, admitted to moments of concern as he tried to close his two-hour, 42-minute encounter against Nalbandian.
Only 24 hours earlier, the Swiss was put through the wringer by Spanish youngster Nicolas Almagro, also taking three sets to advance.
"Down a mini-break in the tiebreaker, you realise that your back's to the wall, you can't make any more mistakes," said the Swiss, who trailed an early break in the final set against one of only three top players in the world with a winning record against him. "Every shot counts," said Federer.