World Number Three Rafael Nadal set a new Open Era record in Monte Carlo on Sunday by winning his sixth straight title in the same tournament. Nadal defeated three fellow Spaniards in two-time champ JC Ferrero, David Ferrer, and Fernando Verdasco en route to the title, upping his tally to 16 shields (tied with Roger Federer for 2nd all time).
Monte Carlo has traditionally signaled Rafa's dominance in the European clay-court swing of the ATP World Tour leading up to the French Open. Between 2005 and 2009, the "King of Clay" has amassed 19 titles in this part of the tour calendar, including 4 French Open titles and 10 shields. Will the trend continue this year?
Here is a look back at Nadal's achievements on clay between Monte Carlo and Roland Garros:
2005: Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros
2006: Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros
2007: Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros
2008: Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Hamburg, Roland Garros
2009: Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome
2010: Monte Carlo
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Monte Carlo Semis: Three Spaniards And A Serb
The semifinal matchups are all set in Monte Carlo, and it features three Spaniards, including five-time defending champ Rafael Nadal, and last year's finalist Novak Djokovic.
Monte Carlo is the first of three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Events leading up to the French Open. Nadal is attempting to achieve an Open Era record of winning six straight titles in the same tournament, a feat even World No. 1 and 16-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer does not have on his resume. Standing on Nadal's path in the semis is fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.
Top seed Novak Djokovic will be looking to avenge last year's final defeat to Nadal, but will have to get past Spaniard Fernando Verdasco first in the other semifinal match. Hard to believe, but Verdasco is appearing in his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal.
Monte Carlo is the first of three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Events leading up to the French Open. Nadal is attempting to achieve an Open Era record of winning six straight titles in the same tournament, a feat even World No. 1 and 16-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer does not have on his resume. Standing on Nadal's path in the semis is fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.
Top seed Novak Djokovic will be looking to avenge last year's final defeat to Nadal, but will have to get past Spaniard Fernando Verdasco first in the other semifinal match. Hard to believe, but Verdasco is appearing in his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Miami Update: Men's Final Four All Set
The men's semifinals at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami is all set. Here are the match-ups:
[4] R Nadal (ESP) vs [6] A Roddick (USA)
[5] R Soderling (SWE) vs [16] T Berdych (CZE)
Fun facts:
* Nadal, Roddick and Soderling are making their second straight semis appearance, as they all made it to the last four at Indian Wells. Can Berdych duplicate Ivan Ljubicic's achievement and deny this trio a shield for the second Masters event in a row?
* Nadal is the only member of the "Big 4" to make this year's semifinals in Miami. Last year, he was the only one among the Bigs who failed to make it this far when he was upset by Del Potro in the quarters.
[4] R Nadal (ESP) vs [6] A Roddick (USA)
[5] R Soderling (SWE) vs [16] T Berdych (CZE)
Fun facts:
* Nadal, Roddick and Soderling are making their second straight semis appearance, as they all made it to the last four at Indian Wells. Can Berdych duplicate Ivan Ljubicic's achievement and deny this trio a shield for the second Masters event in a row?
* Nadal is the only member of the "Big 4" to make this year's semifinals in Miami. Last year, he was the only one among the Bigs who failed to make it this far when he was upset by Del Potro in the quarters.
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