Posts Tagged ‘tennis’
Rain disrupts Italian Open final
Novak Djokovic will play Rafael Nadal in a rain-delayed Italian Open final on Monday after beating Roger Federer.
The world number one eased to victory 6-2 7-6 (7-4) in his semi-final against the Swiss on Saturday.
Nadal, unbeaten in clay-court semi-finals since 2003, reached the Rome final with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-0 win against Spanish compatriot David Ferrer.
Modern-day Master
If Rafael Nadal wins the Italian Open, he will create a new world record of 21 Masters victories. He is currently tied on 20 with Roger Federer.
“It was unbelievable how he started – great rhythm, no errors, aggressive and moving well,” said Nadal.
“All I could do was try to keep the score close as I thought he could not go on at that level.
“After the first six or seven games, our levels became more equal.
“It is great to be in another Rome final, the final preparation before Roland Garros [the French Open].”
Nadal, five-times winner of the competition, had to come from 3-1 down in the first set to set up his 70th career ATP final.
He was struggling with his backhand, which accounted for 15 of his 20 unforced errors, but once he came through a difficult first set lasting 84 minutes, he raced to victory – failing to drop a game in the second set.
Nadal’s incredible record on clay means he will start the final – originally scheduled for Sunday evening but postponed because of persistent rain in the Italian capital – as favourite, but he will be up against a formidable and familiar foe in
Djokovic.
The Serbian dominated the baseline rallies to break Federer twice in the opening set.
That pattern continued into the second, until 16-time Grand Slam winner Federer became more aggressive and took it to a tie-break.
It proved too little, too late, however, as Djokovic regained and never relinquished the initiative.
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Sharapova wins Italian Open crown
Maria Sharapova recovered from a set and 4-0 down to beat Li Na and retain her Italian Open crown in Rome.
At 6-6 in the third and final set, the match was interrupted for more than two hours by rain, but Sharapova returned to win the decisive tie-break.
The 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) win over the French Open champion gave the Russian her 26th career title.
Sharapova now heads to Roland Garros looking for the title that would complete a career Grand Slam.
“The match was a joke, it was like playing a football match in the rain. Even when we were sent off court, you had to still concentrate for every second, it was tiring for both players.”
Li Na
And the world number two will travel to Paris on the back of her second clay court title of the season, following victory in Stuttgart in April.
“It was a crazy match,” said Sharapova. “Either one of us could have won it. There really is no loser.”
With Sharapova looking flat in the opening stages, Li earned an early break which was enough for her to win the first set.
The Chinese then opened up a 4-0 lead in the second, only for Sharapova to reel off eight consecutive games to shift the momentum.
However, there was to be another twist, as Li fought back from 4-1 down to force the third-set tie break.
However, that was delayed by the rain, but when the players did return, it was Sharapova that prevailed.
“When we came back out, she was the tougher player,” said Li. “But I take some positives away. It’s getting close to Roland Garros and I think I hit the ball well. I also moved her around the court well.
“The match was a joke, it was like playing a football match in the rain.
“Even when we were sent off court, you had to still concentrate for every second, it was tiring for both players.”
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Nadal defeats Djokovic in Italy
Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win a record sixth Italian Open title.
The Spaniard won 7-5 6-3 in the final, which had been delayed by a day because of rain in Rome on Sunday, to return to second in the world rankings.
The duo swapped breaks midway through the first set before Nadal made the decisive breakthrough in the 11th game.
Nadal broke in the opening game of the second set and won the match when Djokovic double-faulted at match point.
The Serbian had enjoyed a run of seven successive victories over Nadal prior to last month’s Monte Carlo Masters final but the Spaniard has now won their last two meetings.
Modern-day Master
The victory is Rafael Nadal’s 21st Masters win, putting him ahead of Roger Federer who has won 20
Nadal opened strongly but wasted two break points in Djokovic’s opening service game.
However, he made amends in the fifth game, punishing a poor drop shot to take the initiative but a lacklustre service game allowed the defending champion to restore parity.
The turning point came in the 10th game when a Djokovic shot, that would have given him a set point, was called out by the line-judge, only for the umpire to over-rule the decision.
Nadal won the replayed point – and Djokovic received a warning from the umpire for smashing his racquet at the change of ends after the Spaniard broke to go 6-5 up.
Nadal served out the set before breaking again in the opening game of the second set and the Spaniard then saved six break points in his next two service games.
A wide backhand from Djokovic, who made 41 unforced errors, set up match point and he handed Nadal the title with a double fault.
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Djokovic through to Nadal final
Novak Djokovic will play Rafael Nadal in the final of the Italian Open after beating Roger Federer 6-2 7-6 (7-4).
The world number one, who was in fine form, eased to victory in the first set, but Federer fought hard to take the second into a tie-break.
Federer had momentum, but the defending champion was not to be denied.
Nadal, unbeaten in clay-court semi-finals since 2003, reached the Rome final with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-0 victory against compatriot David Ferrer.
Modern-day Master
If Rafael Nadal wins the Italian Open, he will create a new world record of 21 Masters victories. He is currently tied on 20 with Roger Federer.
“It was unbelievable how David started, he had great rhythm, no errors, was playing aggressive and moving well,” said Nadal.
“All I could do was try to keep the score close as I thought he could not go on at that level.
“After the first six or seven games, our levels became more equal.
“It is great to be in another Rome final, the final preparation before Roland Garros [the French Open].”
Nadal, five-times winner of the competition, had to come from 3-1 down in the first set to set up his 70th career ATP final.
He was struggling with his backhand, which accounted for 15 of his 20 unforced errors, but once he came through a difficult first set lasting 84 minutes, he raced to victory – failing to drop a game in the second set.
Nadal’s incredible record on clay means he starts Sunday’s final as favourite, but he will be up against a formidable and familiar foe in
Djokovic.
The Serbian dominated the baseline rallies to break Federer twice in the opening set.
That pattern continued into the second set, until 16-time Grand Slam winner Federer became more aggressive and took it to a tie-break.
It proved too little, too late, however, as Djokovic regained the initiative to book his place in the final.
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Sharapova lines up final with Li
Maria Sharapova continued the defence of her Italian Open title with a 6-3 6-4 semi-final victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
The Russian’s final opponent will be Li Na, whose tie against Serena Williams was called off because of injury.
Williams was suffering with a back problem but insists she will be fit for the French Open on 27 May.
“I’ll be 100% for the French,” she said. “I’ve been feeling a little pain and have a huge schedule coming up.”
World number two Sharapova was in dominant form against Kerber, overpowering her opponent with heavy groundstrokes.
She broke Kerber twice in the first set, with the German only threatening briefly when she broke back in the third game.
A powerful forehand winner down the line clinched the set in 42 minutes.
Sharapova took her momentum into the second set, breaking Kerber in the first game.
The 24-year-old German broke back in the fourth with her fourth break point of the game, but Sharapova immediately regained the initiative before holding her serve for victory.
The Russian’s victory came in 89 minutes and served as revenge after Kerber had won their last meeting at the Paris Indoors in February.
Li remains the only stumbling block to Sharapova retaining her title but the French Open champion has won four of their last five meetings and will be rested after title favourite Williams pulled out without a shot being played.
The 13-time grand slam winner has complained of back trouble since winning clay titles in
and
“I’ve been playing a lot and my body is getting used to a lot of matches again,” added Williams.
“My form is good heading to Paris. I want to be ready for the next couple of months.”
Li said: “I was really looking forward to playing against one of the best players ever.
“Of course I’m happy to reach the final but I don’t like winning like that. I am so sorry for Serena and hope she gets healthy.”
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Murray beaten by Gasquet in Rome
Andy Murray’s preparations for the French Open suffered a setback as he was beaten by 16th seed Richard Gasquet in the third round of the Italian Open.
The Scot edged an 83-minute first set but Frenchman Gasquet rallied to win 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-2 in just under three hours on Rome’s SuperTennis Arena.
Murray, 25, later revealed he has been carrying a back problem since December but declined to elaborate.
The season’s second Grand Slam starts at Roland Garros on 27 May.
“I don’t really want to go into detail of what it is and what treatment I’ve had done, but I’ve had it a while, since December,” said world number four Murray, who
pulled out of the Madrid Open with the problem.
Match stats
“Since then there hasn’t been that much time to take an extended break and now with the French Open, Wimbledon, Olympics and the US Open to come, there’s not much time to take a rest.
“But hopefully by the time the French Open comes around I’ll be in peak condition. That’s the goal.”
Gasquet goes on to face
David Ferrer
in the quarter-finals after the Spaniard beat French 11th seed Gilles Simon 6-0 7-6 (7-5).
Meanwhile, world number one
Novak Djokovic
outfought Argentina’s Juan Monaco 4-6 6-2 6-3 and second seeded
Rafael Nadal
ruthlessly destroyed fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-1 6-1.
“It was difficult to play in the wind, but it was the same for both of us,” said defending champion Djokovic, who next plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Juan Martin del Potro.
“He was able to deal with the conditions better at the start, but after a set-and-a-half I started to play better and change my strategy.
“I never expected an easy match against him on his favourite surface. I felt I started hitting the ball better. I found my rhythm.”
Next up for Nadal is
Tomas Berdych
after last week’s Madrid Open runner-up overcame Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
Third seed
Roger Federer
recovered from a mid-match blip to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 6-2 5-7 6-1.
In the women’s draw, last year’s Wimbledon champion
Petra Kvitova
battled to a 6-2 5-7 6-2 victory over Sorana Cirstea.
Madrid Open winner
Serena Williams
, the ninth seed, saw off Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-1.
“I’m getting nervous,” said Serena, looking ahead to the French Open. “I feel good and I’ve had a lot of practice on clay.
“Today I was running so much, I was ready to play and feeling good. I wasn’t tired at all.”
Her sister
Venus Williams
eliminated US Open champion Samantha Stosur with an impressive 6-4 6-3 win.
The result puts Venus on course for a place in the US Olympic team, a remarkable achievement after she was diagnosed with the debilitating
during the 2011 US Open.
She plays defending
Maria Sharapova
in the last eight after the Russian, who saved six set points in the opener, beat former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Defending French Open champion
Li Na
and Italian
Flavia Pennetta
also advanced to the quarter-finals.
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Baltacha through to Prague semis
Elena Baltacha won through to the semi-finals of the Sparta Prague Open after beating Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-4.
The 28-year-old was too strong for her Latvian opponent and will now meet Kimiko Date-Krumm or Klára Zakopalová in Saturday’s semi-final.
“Great to be in the Prague semis after beating Anastasija Sevastova, it was way tougher than that scoreline!” Baltacha said on Facebook.
“She is a good player and she really pushed me.”
Baltacha added: “So glad that I was up to the challenge.
“The semis will be tough either way, but I’m really enjoying my tennis this week. Bring it on!”
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Nadal through to Rome semi-finals
Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the Italian Open after a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych.
The world number three continued his quest for a sixth title in Rome with a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in the final after the sixth seed beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
In the other quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi.
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Nadal through to Rome semi-finals
Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the Italian Open after a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych.
The world number three continued his quest for a sixth title in Rome with a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in the final after the sixth seed beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
In the other quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi.
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Nadal through to Rome semi-finals
Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the Italian Open after a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych.
The world number three continued his quest for a sixth title in Rome with a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in the final after the sixth seed beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
In the other quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi.
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Nadal through to Rome semi-finals
Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the Italian Open after a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych.
The world number three continued his quest for a sixth title in Rome with a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in the final after the sixth seed beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
In the other quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi.
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Nadal through to Rome semi-finals
Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the Italian Open after a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych.
The world number three continued his quest for a sixth title in Rome with a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in the final after the sixth seed beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
In the other quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi.
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Federer and Nadal through in Rome
Third seed Roger Federer overcame physical aches and pains to beat Carlos Berlocq 6-3 6-4 to reach the third round of the Italian Open.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal, seeded second, also progressed with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Germany’s Florian Mayer.
Top women’s seed Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, beat Israeli Shahar Peer 6-1 6-2 but then withdrew from the tournament with a shoulder injury.
British number one Andy Murray faces France’s Richard Gasquet on Thursday.
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“I need to make sure I make good decisions, so I go round-by-round”
Roger Federer on his fitness
Their third-round match is third up on the Suppertennis Arena court, with the first match at 10:00 BST.
Azarenka’s withdrawal, with 10 days to go until the French Open, came as a surprise as she had shown no signs of the injury during her win over Peer. This tournament is the last major warm-up for the French Open.
The Belarussian’s decision to withdraw means her scheduled opponent, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, advances to the quarter-finals.
Federer, winner of the Madrid Masters last weekend, only decided to play after completing his practice session on Wednesday morning.
After setting up a clash with Juan Carlos Ferrero, the Swiss said: “I wanted to see how I felt and make sure that I didn’t have anything major because we’re ahead of a long summer.
“If this was the last tournament of the season it would be no problem. But as this is the beginning of many tournaments in a row, potentially a lot of five-setters in a row, I need to make sure I make good decisions, so I go round-by-round.
“I’m happy that I felt OK out there today.”
Seventh seed
Tomas Berdych
saw off Lukas Kubot 6-4 6-1 but
Janko Tipsarevic,
ranked eighth, was the biggest men’s seed to fall after losing 6-3 6-1 to Stanislas Wawrinka.
In the women’s event,
Venus Williams
beat
Ekaterina Makarova
7-6 (9-7) 6-1, while her sister
Serena
saw off
Nadia Petrova
4-6 6-2 6-3.
But big seeds
Agnieszka Radwanska
and
Caroline Wozniacki
both lost.
Third seed Radwanska was beaten 6-4 4-6 6-1 by
Petra Cetkovska
, while sixth seed Wozniacki retired injured against
Anabel Medina Garrigues
who won6-4 4-0.
Serena Williams appeared to struggle with her back at times.
“Everyone has aches and pains here and there and today I felt it a lot because I have been playing a lot and practising even more,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll be better by tomorrow.”
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Murray beats battling Nalbandian
World number four Andy Murray overcame David Nalbandian 6-1 4-6 7-5 to make it into the third round of the Masters series event in Rome.
Murray, 25, cruised through the first set, but found his Argentine opponent a much harder proposition in the second.
Nalbandian forced the match into a third with a much-improved service game, but Murray saw out the match.
The clay event in Rome is seen as a curtain-raiser for the French Open, which starts in 12 days.
Birthday boy Murray
After his win over David Nalbandian on Centre Court in Rome, Murray was presented with a cake and candles to celebrate his 25th birthday.
Birthday boy Murray
did not compete in the Madrid Masters
last week having sustained a back injury, and had also received a bye through the first round in Rome.
He seemed in total control of the match in the first set, seizing the initiative after dominating Nalbandian’s unreliable first serve.
After a marathon 15-minute sixth game ended with Nalbandian’s 17th unforced error, Murray was able to close out the set.
But the experienced Argentine’s performance took an abrupt about-turn in the second set, as the 30-year-old clay court specialist broke his higher-ranked opponent then capitalised.
Murray’s first serve deserted him, landing a poor 42% and allowing his opponent to take the game into a deciding third.
The final set was a tight and hard-fought affair, with both players breaking the other’s serve before Murray forced three break points at 5-5.
Nalbandian saved the first two before a Murray return clipped the net cord and dropped over, giving the Scot the game and allowing him to serve for the match.
He had to save two break points of his own in the final game, but was able to close out the match in the gathering dusk.
Murray’s victory sets up a third round clash with with either Richard Gasquet, who
defeated Roger Federer in this event last year,
or home favourite Paolo Lorenzi.
Elsewhere, world number one
Novak Djokovic
dominated Australian teenager Bernard Tomic to produce an impressive start to the defence of his title with a 6-3 6-3 win.
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Resurgent Federer wins in Madrid
Roger Federer returned to number two in the world with victory over Tomas Berdych in the Madrid Open final.
The Swiss battled to a 3-6 7-5 7-5 on the new
and moves above Rafael Nadal in the rankings.
“It was a tough tournament and a brutal draw,” said Federer, who joins Nadal on 20 victories at the elite Masters Series level. “Tomas played very well.
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“It’s no secret for any player out there that you’d rather be number one than number two”
Roger Federer
“I’m sure we will see each other many more times and they will be quality matches like this one.”
Before Madrid, Federer had not played for six weeks
since losing to Andy Roddick in Miami
and he had lost twice this year to Berdych.
The Czech player dominated the first set of Sunday’s final with 14 winners and just two unforced errors, but Federer broke twice in the second and took it when Berdych double-faulted on set point.
Two more double faults from Berdych looked to have handed Federer a match-winning lead at 5-3, but the 16-times Grand Slam champion faltered when serving for the match.
It was a brief stay of execution for the sixth seed, however, as he fell 0-40 down in game 12 and, despite saving three championship points, finally succumbed with a forehand into the net.
The 30-year-old Federer
has now won four tournaments in 2012
and, with world number one Novak Djokovic defending a huge number of ranking points in the coming months, the Swiss could potentially regain the number one spot with a Grand Slam victory.
Should he get back to the top of the rankings for the first time since May 2010, Federer would equal, and almost certainly go on to break, Pete Sampras’s record of 286 weeks as number one.
“Back then I was just trying to stay world number one and I never really looked at Pete’s record that much,” said Federer, who received a framed Men In Black suit from actor Will Smith at the presentation ceremony in Madrid.
“I guess I could have chased it a few years ago, just really trying to beat that record. It’s no secret for any player out there that you’d rather be number one than number two.
“But I look at the long term – maybe if I wasn’t good enough to break that record then maybe I never will be.”
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Serena Williams wins Madrid Open
Serena Williams beat world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-3 to win the Madrid Open for the first time.
It was Williams’ first appearance in Europe this season and the world number six and ninth seed dominated the Belarussian over two sets.
It took the American just over an hour to win the match and confirmed her as the player in form ahead of the
which starts on 27 May.
Williams hit a series of winners to take her 41st WTA singles title.
It is the eighth time the pair have met, with Williams
Azarenka’s only victory over Williams came in the final of the 2009 Miami tournament, but she came nowhere near the American on Sunday, with Williams superior in every department.
The Madrid Open is the second consecutive WTA clay tournament for Williams, coming a month after she
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Angry Djokovic in Madrid defeat
Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic again criticised the blue clay court as he was knocked out of the Madrid Open.
Djokovic lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic and vowed not to play in the competition next year if the controversial surface is retained.
“In 2013, if they play on blue [clay], they can have their own tournament but I am not coming for sure,” he said.
“It is simple – no blue clay for me. The test has failed.”
Analysis
“Djokovic, reiterating his intention to boycott the tournament next year if the blue clay remains, attacked the ATP and its former leader for allowing the controversial change. Top seed Djokovic has been complaining all week, so perhaps it was no surprise when he lost to compatriot Janko Tipsarevic.”
Read more from Jonathan Overend in Madrid
Djokovic has been frustrated by the slippery blue courts all week and
“I want to forget this week as soon as possible and move on to the real clay courts,” Djokovic said. “Here you can’t predict the ball bounce or movement.
“I want to perform my best but, if I cannot move and am putting pressure all the time on muscles and my body, and I am worried about not getting injured because the court is unpredictable, then what is the sense in playing here?”
Djokovic was also critical of the ATP and says players must be consulted in future before new initiatives are introduced.
“They made a decision without the players agreeing on it so this is a rule that has to be changed immediately,” he said.
“The fault is from the people who gave them permission to do these things. This is just a clear example of how our system does not work in favour of players.”
Djokovic was particularly critical of former ATP chief executive Adam Helfant, who took the decision to allow Madrid to switch to blue clay in order to make it easier for television viewers to follow the yellow balls.
Earlier on Friday, Helfant said he gave Madrid the green light only after receiving assurances the blue courts would play the same as the traditional red surfaces.
He said he consulted the players and tournament officials and, realising they could not agree, made the decision himself.
Also on Friday, tournament chief Ion Tiriac apologised for the slippery courts but defended the colour switch, which he said had nothing to do with the problems with the court surface.
Tiriac explained that the courts, which have to be built from scratch six weeks before the tournament, had been pressed too much, which meant the clay was unable to penetrate the hard base.
“The players are right when they say it is too slippery and I apologise,” he said.
There were no problems for
Roger Federer,
who was a 6-4 6-4 winner against Spain’s David Ferrer, although the Swiss player said he understood the frustrations of Djokovic and Nadal.
“It is a pity we are talking about a surface rather than a great shot or a great match,” he said. “After the tournament we will have to sit down and see what happens next year.”
Women’s world number one
Victoria Azarenka
made a shaky start before winning 3-6 6-3 6-3 against Li Na.
Azarenka will meet world number three
Agnieszka Radwanska
, the fourth seed, who beat American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko 6-4 6-4.
Serena Williams
made light of the seven ranking places separating her and Maria Sharapova as she eased past the world number two 6-3 6-1.
The American is into the semi-finals for only the second time in five singles events this year and will play outsider
Lucie Hradecka
who beat US Open champion Sam Stosur 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (8-6)
Fifth seed
Tomas Berdych
saw off Fernando Verdasco in the men’s draw.
Berdych swatted aside Rafael Nadal’s conqueror 6-1 6-2 in just 66 minutes and will play
Juan Martin del Potro
in the last four after the Argentine beat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-4.
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Serena to face Azarenka in final
Serena Williams will play world number one Victoria Azarenka in Sunday’s final of the Madrid Open after they both enjoyed straightforward last-four wins.
American Williams, 30, was taken to a tie-break in the first set of her game against Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka.
But she breezed through the second set, breaking Hradecka three times to wrap up a 7-6 (7-5) 6-0 victory.
Azarenka, who is chasing a fifth title in 2012, hit 29 winners in her 6-2 6-4 thrashing of Agnieszka Radwanska.
The 22-year-old Belarussian, who was beaten in last year’s final by Petra Kvitova, has now defeated Polish player Radwanska in all six of their meetings this year.
She broke her opponent’s serve six times and clinched the win with a drop shot on her second match point after just 79 minutes of playing.
Azarenka has only beaten Williams once in seven meetings but the Australian Open champion said: “I was much younger and just coming on the tour [for many of our matches) but I have always been competitive against her.
“It’s going to be a different story this time.”
Williams is in fine form though, having beaten Maria Sharapova in the last eight and easily overcoming Hradecka who is ranked 105 in the world.
The first set went with serve but Williams edged the tie-break and then immediately broke in the opening game of the second set to take the initiative, while Hradecka, who made 22 unforced errors in the game, faded.
In the men’s semi-finals, former world number one Roger Federer takes on Janko Tipsarevic while Tomas Berdych faces Juan Martin del Potro.
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Nadal furious with Madrid surface
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are threatening to avoid next year’s Madrid Open if the blue clay surface remains.
World number two Nadal lost 6-3 3-6 7-5 to Fernando Verdasco in round three and blamed the slippery courts for his first defeat in 23 matches on clay.
“If things continue, [there] will be one less tournament in my calendar,” said the Spaniard.
Djokovic said he agreed with Nadal after he and Roger Federer progressed to the quarter-finals.
Analysis
“Regardless of the rights or wrongs, the playing field here in Madrid is suddenly a more level one – ice-rink-level, you could say, and most certainly blue.”
Read more from Jonathan Overend in Madrid
Federer expressed sympathy with Nadal over the issue.
“I understand his disappointment,” said the Swiss. “He was against (blue clay) from the start and so was I. He never felt comfortable on the surface. It is a tough surface and that can only add to the anger even more.”
Nadal, who had won all of his previous 14 meetings against 15th seed Verdasco, blew a 5-2 lead in the third set on his way to his earliest exit in a clay-court tournament since he fell to Olivier Mutis in the second round in Palermo, Italy, in 2004.
“After losing so many times against the best player on clay ever, to beat him on clay is the maximum,” said an emotional Verdasco. “I don’t have words. I am happy for the win, although it is difficult to hold myself together now. I need to calm down, rest and get ready for the next match.”
But while Verdasco was left celebrating his shock victory, Nadal was complaining about having to play on a surface which is different from the red clay courts used at other tournaments, including the French Open starting later this month.
Organisers say it makes it easier for television viewers to follow the balls, but Nadal is not convinced.
“The movements are important for me and here I cannot move so I cannot hit the ball the way that I want,” he said.
Did you know?
The blue clay is extracted from crushed brick, and the material is stripped of its iron oxide before being dyed. The process involved has made the blue court feel much slicker than the traditional red clay.
“I think the tournament is great but that [changing the courts] is a bad decision. If you put the Cincinnati tournament on grass just before the US Open, do you think people are going to be happy? I don’t think so.
“I am not prepared to risk something happening next year if nothing changes.”
Djokovic, who beat Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 6-4, was also asked about his future participation in the Masters event and he said he was of the “same” opinion as Nadal.
“You are tripping and slipping and sliding all the time and the winner will be the one who doesn’t get hurt until the end of the week because a lot of players fell down,” he added.
Federer, who beat Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-2, will face
David Ferrer
in the quarter-finals after the Spaniard beat countryman Nicolas Almagro 7-6 3-6 7-6.
Switzerland’s Federer will overtake Nadal as world number two behind Djokovic if he wins in Madrid.
Djokovic will next play either fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic or Gilles Simon of France, while Verdasco will face
Tomas Berdych
after the Czech beat Gael Monfils 6-1 6-1.
There was another surprise in the men’s draw as Ukraine’s
Alexandr Dolgopolov
knocked out fourth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
Dolgopolov, seeded 16th, won 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-2) to book a last-eight match with Argentina’s
Juan Martin del Potro
, who beat Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2 6-4.
In the women’s draw, ninth seed
Serena Williams
staged a recovery to claim a 1-6 6-3 6-2 victory against Caroline Wozniacki, who was seeded sixth and is also a former world number one.
“Williams is a great opponent but to be honest I am just happy that my foot’s feeling better, you know I hurt it in the first match,” said Wozniacki.
“I think I can take a lot of confidence from this match leading into the French Open, which is coming up soon.”
Williams now has a quarter-final against second seed
Maria Sharapova
, who progressed after Lucie Safarova withdrew before their third round match due to a stomach illness.
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Serena crushes Sharapova in Spain
Serena Williams made light of the seven ranking places separating her and Maria Sharapova as she eased past the world number two 6-3 6-1 at the Madrid Open.
The American is in to the semi-finals for only the second time in five singles events this year and will play either Sam Stosur or Lucie Hradecka.
World number one
Victoria Azarenka
made progress in less assured style, beating Li Na 3-6 6-3 6-3 after a shaky start.
Fifth seed
Tomas Berdych
saw off Fernando Verdasco in the men’s draw.
Berdych swatted aside Rafael Nadal’s conqueror 6-1 6-2 in just 66 minutes and will play
Juan Martin del Potro
in the last four after the Argentine beat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-4.
Top seed and defending champion
Novak Djokovic
and world number three
Roger Federer
will attempt to follow Del Potro in to the semi-finals later on Friday in matches against Janko Tipsarevic and David Ferrer respectively.
Williams, whose last Grand Slam title was at Wimbledon in 2010, had won her previous six contests with Sharapova and opened in suitably confident style.
Six aces and two early breaks of serve carried the first set her way and, although Sharapova briefly stemmed the tide by breaking back for 2-2 in the second, the Russian could not not convert resistance into a full blown rebellion.
Sharapova slipped behind again soon after with a sixth double fault and could not rein in her opponent for a second time.
Azarenka, who lost to Sharapova in the final in Stuttgart in her last tournament, came under pressure from Li at the start and the end of their match, but, after building a 4-0 lead in the decider, saw off the Chinese’s late charge to progress.
The Belarusian joined
Nadal
and
Djokovic
in criticising the blue clay surface in Madrid.
“I’m not a fan of this court, that’s for sure,” she added.
“But I don’t want to sit here and complain about it. Nothing is going to change this year. We can talk after the tournament about maybe possible changes or something.”
Azarenka will meet world number three Agnieszka Radwanska or American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko in the last four.
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