Serena Williams has not won the French Open title since 2002 and Maria Sharapova has not beaten the American since 2004.

When the world's top-two women meet in the final of the French Open here tomorrow, something has to give.

Sharapova, the defending champion, came through a see-sawing semi-final against Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, while world No.1 Williams was at her ruthless best as she crushed the hapless Italian Sara Errani 6-0, 6-1.

"I'd be lying if I said it doesn't bother me, obviously," Sharapova said of her record against Williams, who has won their last 12 encounters, including on clay in Madrid last month. "I don't think that it would be a competitive statement if I said I didn't.

"I would love to change that around. I'm putting myself in a position to do that. Obviously, whatever I did in the past hasn't worked, so I'll have to try to do something different and hopefully it will work. I'm proud of the way that I came through this tournament. I have given myself a chance to face the favourite."

Having been blown away in the first set, the momentum was with Azarenka when she levelled the match but a 35-minute rain delay stopped her in her tracks.

After trading breaks early on in the decider, Sharapova held for 4-2 and broke again to serve for the match but missed four match points as Azarenka hit back for 5-4, with Sharapova's double-fault count hitting 11. Second time round, though, the Russian made no mistake, hitting her 12th ace to clinch victory and reach the final once more.

"I think the break changed the momentum, for sure," Azarenka said. "When I came back I didn't start the same way I was playing in the second set. I was just trying to make things happen too quickly and started missing the ball."

Last year's finalist Errani had not dropped a set on her way to the last four but Williams took her apart in a beating that verged on the cruel. Overpowered and overwhelmed, the Italian won 10 points in the first nine games and although she got on the board at 3-1 in the second set, Williams, who hit 40 winners out of her 52 points, reached the final for the first time since her title win 11 years ago.

"It would awesome for me to win," Williams said. "I don't think there's anything that can describe how happy I would be. But, right now, it's still a dream. I still have another match to play, hopefully to win. There are still two people fighting for the championship."

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were all smiles yesterday as they got their television commitments out of the way; the calm before the storm. Today, they will meet for a 35th time, the semi-final that would surely have been the final had they been drawn in opposite halves.

The pair have met four times here, including in last year's final when Nadal won the title for a seventh time. Victory here on Sunday would make him the first man to win any grand slam title eight times and, after a shaky start, he is beginning to hit form. "At the beginning of the tournament, Rafael was too nervous and he played no good," his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, told Herald Sport. "His level was not too high. I think he has played so much better in the last two matches."

The conspiracy theorists here in Paris like to believe that Djokovic did not mind losing early in Madrid and Rome last month, just so long as he did not lose to Nadal.

The Serb won their last encounter, in the final in Monte Carlo in April, and believes that confidence could help him take on the ultimate challenge on clay: playing Nadal over five sets. But, since returning from seven months out with a knee injury in February, Nadal has won six of his eight tournaments, reaching the final of the lot.

"The match of Monte Carlo is a good victory for Djokovic but Rafael played well in Madrid, in Rome and here now the last two matches," Toni Nadal said. "The most important thing is to play well."

Thirty years after Yannick Noah won the title here, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will try to move within one win of emulating his achievement by beating David Ferrer in the other semi-final. Tsonga's win over Roger Federer in the last round has stirred the home crowd's imagination but Toni Nadal feels world No.4 Ferrer has the edge.

"I think David is a slight favourite," he said. "Tsonga has had a wonderful tournament, he has beaten good players and has not lost one set, so it should be a tough match. But at the moment, David Ferrer on clay is better."

*Gordon Reid, the British No.1 from Helensburgh, bowed out of the wheelchair men's singles in the semi-finals, beaten 6-3, 6-4 by the second seed and defending champion Stephane Houdet, who had the benefit of a home crowd on his side.

Reid, 21, was making his grand slam singles debut at Roland Garros after climbing to a career high of No.6 in the world rankings.