Ring out the old, bring in the new

But they still match the crowd favourite against the revelation of the tournament as Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil takes on Juan Carlos Ferrero while the `most boring man in tennis’, Magnus Norman of Sweden, tackles Argentina’s Franco Squillari, a throwback to the heady days of the mid-1970s.

It’s all a far cry from the women’s scenario, where the usual suspects are closing in on the title.

Kuerten is the only one of the four to have previously made the semis here, going all the way and winning the trophy in 1997 after beating three former champions in Thomas Muster, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Sergi Bruguera.

He also completed his clay tournament collection last month winning the Hamburg Masters Series and should logically be the favourite for the tournament as he beat Norman in the Hamburg quarters to avenge a Rome Masters Series final defeat by the Swede — who leads the ATP Champions Race.

But first the fifth seed has to get past Ferrero, the 16th seed who has catapulted himself into the title picture in this only his third Grand Slam.

Ferrero, the latest star to emerge from the Spanish clay court production line, will be contesting the first Grand Slam semifinal of his young career – and at 20 he is the same age as the Brazilian was in winning the title here.

The South American doesn’t fear being out-Kuertened, however, and the omens look good as he recovered from the brink of defeat to oust Kafelnikov in the quarters – just as he did in 1997.

“I am pretty happy with the way things have been going and the Parisian crowd are behind me,” said the samba star.

Ferrero will not freeze, however, having stormed into the last four with a tremendous 6-4 6-4 6-2 triumph over his 10th-seeded compatriot Alex Corretja, a vastly more experienced player and a former finalist.

The wiry Spaniard — nicknamed Mosquito for his slender frame — is not short on confidence having raced into the top 10 of the rankings this year from 125 at this time last year, when he was still playing in satellite events.

“When you play well, confidence comes with that. Presently my tennis is good, my forehand is strong and I am well-positioned for the ball. That give me confidence,” he said.

Ferrero could so easily have gone out in Round Two, when he trailed Czech journeyman Slava Dosedel by two sets. But like Kuerten, whom he will be facing for the first time, he enjoys a bit of brinkmanship.

He has since beaten in-form Argentine Mariano Puerta, big serving Australian Mark Philppoussis and Corretja for the loss of just one more set.

Norman and Squillari looks to be a home banker for the Swede, who downed Russian man mountain Marat Safin 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5 to reach the last four of a Slam for the second time in his career.

The 24-year-old bears the hopes of a tennis-mad nation on his shoulders as he bids to end a 12-year Swedish drought at Roland Garros since Mats Wilander took the crown in 1988.

The third-seed, who won at Rome and Auckland so far this year, is adamant he will not crack against Squillari in the manner he did last January against Kafelnikov in Melbourne.

“I’ve never been in a Grand Slam final. That’s motivation enough. I’ve been working so hard for this. I’m going to work even harder on Friday to be able to get that final,” vowed Norman, who insists that “I’m just an average guy.”

He beat 23-year-old left-hander Squillari, nicknamed The Bull of the Pampas, in both their two previous meetings but Squillari is thriving on the pressure here after never once getting past the third round in 10 previous Grand Slam appearances.

He deployed his big top-spin forehand to great effect to clobber Spaniard Albert Costa in four sets to get this far and wants to emulate his boyhood idol Guillermo Vilas, who lifted the trophy here in 1977.

Squillari gives credit to coach Horacio de la Pena — another Argentine who enjoyed success with four titles on the ATP Tour — for lifting his confidence.

“Whatever player I’m playing, he gives me this feeling of confidence. He believes I can make it,” said the 26th-ranked star.