Paris: There was a sense of anti-climax as David Ferrer brushed aside local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 to reach his first Grand Slam final on Friday and set up an all-Spanish French Open final with seven-times champion Rafael Nadal.

The big match of the day for the partisan Roland Garros crowd turned into a non-event for Tsonga who never got into the contest after the fans had been treated to an epic five-set clash between Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

When sixth seed Tsonga stepped on to Court Philippe Chatrier looking to become the first Frenchman to reach the French Open final since Henri Leconte in 1988, the stands were not full.

Some spectators had left, others had gone for refreshments after witnessing a great episode of the Rafa vs Djoko rivalry.

It certainly worked in Ferrer’s favour, as he never experienced the pressure of having a 15,000-seater stadium against him.

Fourth seed Ferrer, yet to drop a set at Roland Garros this year, was barely challenged by sixth seed Tsonga who had crushed 17-times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the quarter finals.

“I’m feeling good. I’m very happy to be in the final here, It’s a dream, my first final in Grand Slam. Roland Garros, the most important tournament for me,” Ferrer said in a courtside interview.

“I’m trying to take care of my body. I’m older but I have more experience,” the 31-year-old said. “It’s a dream now I want to enjoy the moment and to be focused for the final with Rafa.”

Tsonga, the last Frenchman to play in a Grand Slam final at the 2008 Australian Open, failed to match Ferrer’s pace and capitulated after just over two hours.

Ferrer, apparently oblivious to his surroundings, raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set with some clever angled shots.

Tsonga was on the ropes but he still opened a 3-0 lead in the second set after playing beautifully through the second game, breaking to love with a perfectly-drilled forehand winner.

A forehand long, however, allowed Ferrer to break back and in the blink of an eye, the Spaniard was 4-3 up after Tsonga had double-faulted on break point. The Frenchman fought to break back and force a tiebreak, which Ferrer easily won after Tsonga’s ugly errors had put him 4-0 ahead. The Spaniard cantered through the third set with a sense of urgency, wrapping it up on his opponent’s serve when Tsonga hit another forehand long.