Three-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal advanced to the semi-finals at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia as he beat countryman and No. 6 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3, on Friday.
This is the first time since 1981 the top three seeds have reached the semi-finals in Rome. That year, the top trio were Guillermo Vilas, Ivan Lendl and Jose-Luis Clerc.
The 22-year-old Nadal improved to 8-0 lifetime against Verdasco and extended his clay court winning streak to 28 consecutive matches since his last loss to countryman Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round in Rome on May 7, 2008.
Nadal, who will play the winner of No. 12 seed Fernando Gonzalez and qualifier Juan Monaco in the semi-finals, is 14-0 on clay this season. Nadal is 36-3 overall this year with an ATP World Tour-best four titles.
Nadal will take a 5-3 head-to-head career advantage, winning the past four meetings, into the semi-finals against No. 12 seed Fernando Gonzalez (pictured) in a repeat of the 2007 Rome final.
In Friday's victory, both players exchanged early breaks before Nadal broke in the seventh and ninth games to secure the first set in 44 minutes. In the second set, Nadal saved five break points, three in the first game and two in the fifth game, before breaking in the eighth game. Nadal served out the 1:51 match at love.
Nadal converted four of six break points and saved five of six break points.
"The last match last night the court was slow and the ball was heavy. Today was completely different conditions," said Nadal, who owns a 25-1 career record in ATP World Tour level semi-final matches on clay. "The ball was flying so much. I like the conditions of today. But after the change of last night, it's a big change. Last night I played really well, and today I didn't play my best. I had some mistakes, especially in the second set. The beginning, I had a lot of mistakes. The first set was okay. But the second, I was a little bit lucky and he had mistakes in some important points."
No. 12 seed and 2007 Rome runner-up Fernando Gonzalez rallied to defeat Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-hitting quarter-final on Friday night.
The 28-year-old Chilean reached his second straight semi-final after losing to David Ferrer last week in Barcelona. Gonzalez improved to 16-4 on the season and 10-1 on clay. He will try to reach his second ATP World Tour final of the season. He won his fourth ATP World Tour title on home soil in Vina del Mar in February (d. Acasuso).
Monaco jumped off to a quick start by breaking in the opening game of the match and in the seventh game to secure the set in 29 minutes. In the second set, Gonzalez broke for a 2-0 lead but was broken in the next game. Gonzalez broke for a 5-3 advantage and then served out the set. Both players held throughout the final set until Gonzalez broke on his second attempt in the ninth game. He then held at 40-30 to close out the two hour and eight minute match.
Gonzalez converted three of four break points while Monaco was three of five on break point chances.
Gonzalez, who is attempting to capture his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, will be making his eighth semi-final showing in a Masters 1000 tournament, his first since he advanced to the final in Rome two years (l. to Nadal).
Gonzalez is one of 12 players to defeat Nadal on clay in the Spaniard's career. The win came in their first meeting in Stuttgart in July 2003 when the Mallorca native was 17 years old.(From Website : http://www.atpworldtour.com/TENNIS/1/EN/NEWS/NEWSARTICLE_3404.ASP)
