Stan Wawrinka took on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and 15,000 of his most passionate fans and silenced them all to reach the French Open final for the first time with a 6-3 6-7 7-6 6-4 victory in Paris.
Stan Wawrinka Photo: Photosport
But the Swiss will have to wait to see whether he plays world No.1 Novak Djokovic or the Scot Andy Murray, with their semi-final suspended due to rain.
Djokovic will resume Saturday night with a 6-3 6-3 5-7 3-3 lead over Murray.
Tsonga's hopes of becoming the first Frenchman to win the title since Yannick Noah in 1983 melted away on the hottest day of the championships - with the mercury hitting 33 degrees Celsius - as Wawrinka won the points that mattered.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Photo: Photosport
The eighth seed lived dangerously throughout, saving 16 of the 17 break points he faced during the gruelling three hour 46 minute contest, and was a mightily relieved man when Wawrinka fired down an unreturnable serve to end the semi-final.
