Saturday, June 24 2006 14:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Nottingham (England): French youngster Richard Gasquet stayed on track to claim back-to-back Nottingham Open titles on Friday by winning a tight semi-final against big-serving Swede Robin Soderling.

Gasquet, who learned earlier in the day that he will face Roger Federer in the opening round of Wimbledon this year, edged two tie-breaks to claim a 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5) victory.

That was no mean feat against an opponent who was producing serves of up to 132 mph (209kmh).

Gasquet now faces Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman, who swept past Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-1 in the second semi-final.

After wining the first set tiebreak, Gasquet appeared to be cruising to victory as he built up a 4-1 lead in the second.

But Soderling pulled himself back into the contest, forcing the Frenchman to win a second tiebreak to claim victory.

"I felt I played well," Gasquet added.

"I've never won against him (Soderling) before. I served well and fought a lot. It was hard, he is a great player and he has a great serve," he said.

"Now I think I can win the title. I have beaten a lot of great players to get here and I have a lot of confidence," he said.

Gasquet admitted he had been knocked sideways by news of the Wimbledon draw.

"I saw the draw just one hour before this match and I was sad! But, I am very happy to be in the final here and its also a dream to know I will play on centre court at Wimbledon in the opening match," he said.

Bjorkman, 34, took just 71 minutes to see off Seppi and keep alive his hopes of winning a third title at Nottingham.

The Swede, ranked 77th in the world, had won previously in 1998 and 2002 but admitted he hadn't expected to defeat the Italian so easily.

He said, "I surprised myself today but its all about confidence. I just had the goal of getting through the first round and I've been playing better and better this week. "

"I keep fighting for every point which is mentally tough for your opponent because they know you are not going to give up until the last ball," he said.

"The grass courts are getting tougher and tougher these days, its quicker here than at Queen's or Wimbledon, which suits my style," he said.

"I think Nottingham allows me to create my style of shots, its always nice to come back to a place where you have won," he said.

Bjorkman faces countryman Thomas Johansson in the first round at Wimbledon next week and he isn't happy with the draw.

He added, "I have the worst draw. Id almost rather play Federer than play Thomas who is my closest friend. The draw could have been better for me."