French Open: Casper Ruud beats Marin Cilic to set up title clash with his 'idol' Rafael Nadal - WATCH

Ruud defeated Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to become the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam final.

Casper Ruud (Source: Twitter)

23-year-old Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud powered his way to his first Grand Slam final after beating Croatian player Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 late on Friday night (local time). Ruud, after losing the first set, packed his stamina and went to attack Cilic after the game, displaying a variety of his shots.

With this match, Ruud became the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam final on Friday when he set up a French Open title clash with13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

While the match was going on, a protester ran onto the court and tried to tie herself by the neck to the net. She wore a shirt which bore the slogan: "We have 1028 days left" before being eventually cut free by security staff. The shirt represents a climate change activism group in France. They carried her off of Court Philippe-Chatrier. Ruud and Cilic were also escorted off the court into the locker room until security made sure the court was safe again. The match resumed after a 15-minute delay.

An epic battle between @CasperRuud98 and @cilic_marin saw the Norwegian reach his first Grand Slam final! 

Catch up on all the #RolandGarros action  pic.twitter.com/tCVadlW7BR

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2022

"It was a great match from my side. I didn't start the greatest but Marin played a very good first set," said the 23-year-old Norwegian after the match concluded.

"I look up to Rafa (Rafael Nadal). He's the perfect example of how to behave on the court, never gives up and never complains. He's been my idol all my life," Ruud said.

"It's a dream to be able to play a Grand Slam final"@CasperRuud98 speaks on today's win and looks ahead to Sunday's final:#RolandGarros

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2022

Earlier Friday, Nadal reached the final in Paris for the 14th time when Alexander Zverev was forced to retire with an ankle injury after falling in the court.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal entered his 14th French Open final on his 36th birthday after Olympic gold champion Alexander Zverev pulled out of the clash due to an injury at the Philippe Chatrier court in Paris on Friday with a score of 7-6 (10-8), 6-6. The German injured his right ankle during the second set and had to retire.

In the second set tie-breaker both the players fought valiantly as the scores were tied at 6-6. The third seed Zverev screamed in pain when he went down on the baseline stretching for a ball on the final point of the 12th game of the second set. After some time the 25-year-old returned to the court on crutches and conceded the match. With this win, Nadal entered his 14th French Open final.