Stan Wawrinka ended Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's hopes of becoming the first Frenchman to reach the French Open final for 27 years with an immense display of stamina in the sweltering Paris heat on Friday.
Eighth seed Wawrinka will face either Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray in his first final at Roland Garros on Sunday after consigning Tsonga to a 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 defeat.
It could have been a different story for Tsonga, but the 14th seed paid the price for not being clinical enough and missed the opportunity to become the first male French player since Henri Leconte in 1988 to feature in the final of the grand slam on clay.
Temperatures soared on Court Philippe Chatrier as both players strived to reach their second Grand Slam final, but it was the Swiss who prevailed to disappoint a partisan crowd in the French capital.
Tsonga could only win one of the 17 break points that he earned and made 53 unforced errors, with his frustration evident as Wawrinka kept his composure at key stages of an energy-sapping match that lasted three hours and 50 minutes.
The Le Mans-born 30-year-old fashioned three break points in the first game, but Wawrinka stood firm and then took the upper hand by claiming the first break to lead 3-1 - courtesy of a fine backhand down the line after being 40-0 down.
Tsonga had a chance to break back in the seventh game, but was again frustrated as the 2014 Australian Open winner came up with a delightful forehand winner and went on to serve out the set.
Wawrinka pressed home his advantage by breaking at the start of the second set, sending down some booming forehands and breaking immediately before Tsonga rolled up his sleeves and fought his way back into the match.
Tsonga led 30-0 on the Wawrinka serve when trailing 4-2, but the Swiss reeled off three points in a row to hold. The Frenchman was not to be denied, though, as Wawrinka double-faulted twice and then fired an attempted winner long to be pegged back at 4-4.
Wawrinka then had no answer to Tsonga in the tie-break, which he won with ease to raise the decibels.
There was a sense of deja vu for Tsonga in the third, as he was unable to win six break points, and this time Wawrinka raised his game in the tie-break to get his nose back in front with a fine backhand to go 2-1 up - despite having to call a medical time out earlier in the set due to a finger problem.
The heat was taking its toll on both players, but Tsonga appeared to be flustered when he was 0-40 down on serve in the opening game of the fourth set and double-faulted.
Wawrinka then saved another two break points in the following game before coming up with an ace to take a 2-0 lead. The chances continued to come thick and fast for Tsonga to stay in contention, but four more break points came and went in the fourth game and Wawrinka again sent down an ace to hold.
Tsonga's frustration mounted, but he was able to save four break points himself when 4-2 down - much to the delight of the vast majority of spectators.
There would be no further opportunities for Tsonga to claim the elusive break back, though, as Wawrinka won his first match point when his opponent found the net.