Nalbandian retires, Federer in final

The nature of Nalbandian’s ailment wasn’t immediately clear. The No. 3-seeded Argentine called for a trainer down 2-1 in the third set, again received treatment at 3-2 and quit soon after. Federer’s opponent will be the winner of the second semifinal between defending champion Rafael Nadal and Ivan Ljubicic.

If Federer wins the title, he would become only the third man to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, joining Don Budge and Rod Laver. He would also become the sixth man to achieve a career Slam by winning all four majors. By beating Nalbandian, Federer extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 27 matches. But his latest victory didn’t come easily.

On another day fit for a Paris postcard — sunny and 80 degrees — much of the crowd was late to show up. Federer was, too, losing three of his first six service games while Nalbandian served well, held easily and won five consecutive games for a 3-0 lead in the second set.

Federer was late to reach shots and erratic with his forehand. Then came the abrupt turnaround. Nalbandian lost serve at love, double-faulting on break point, and Federer started to crack winners, his mood improved.

He won five consecutive games for 5-3, then served out the set easily to even the match. He broke again to start the third set and didn’t face a break point in his final seven service games.

The seventh game of the second set typified the erratic match. Federer hit the shot of the tournament, retreating for a lob, back to the net, then spinning to hit a forehand winner at shoelace level. He caught a break when Nalbandian netted a smash on break point, giving Federer a 4-3 lead in the set.

STEVEN WINE