Tennis
Federer, Nadal score knockout blows as all-star final looms
By DPA
Apr 25, 2008, 16:34 GMT

Monte Carlo - Roger Federer settled a score after losing his last two against David Nalbandian, hammering the Argentine 5-7, 6-2. 6-2 for a place in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Friday.

He was joined in the final four by rival and second seed Rafael Nadal, who earned his 28th straight victory against a Spanish compatriot with a 6-1, 7-5 dispatch of fifth seed David Ferrer.

Nadal will play on Saturday against Nikolay Davydenko, who struggled for nearly three hours to finally subdue fellow Russian Igor Andreev, posting a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 win.

Federer awaits the outcome from third seeded Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and American surprise Sam Querrey.

The 20-year-old Californian, lone American in the field, is the first from his clay-averse nation to play a Monte Carlo quarter-final since Vince Spadea in 2003, who lost a semi-final to Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Top seed Federer continued to gain valuable clay-court confidence as he won his eighth consecutive match on the surface.

Argentine Nalbandian beat Federer indoors at Madrid and Paris last autumn, but the Swiss got his own back on the South American's surface.

But after first denying there was any sweet revenge, Federer had another think.

'It's always nice playing against him. And when you beat him, you always know you're playing well because he's not just going to hand it over to you.

'Actually, he beat me here years ago 6-1, 6-2 (2002 second round). So it's nice to get him back because of that, I guess, more that than because of Madrid or whatever that was.'

The pair of longtime rivals were playing for the 17th time, with Federer now nudging into a 9-8 lead as they faced off for a seventh straight year.

The Swiss pronounced the victory possibly his best of the season. 'I really like this victory today because David's already played in South America on clay, he played Davis Cup on clay.

'He hasn't not played on this surface for a long time. I definitely played my best match of this tournament.'

Federer and Nalbandian played almost the perfect opening set, with the first break point cropping up in the 11th game.

Nalbandian struck first after the Swiss top seed saved two break points, taking a 6-5 lead. The Argentine claimed the opener after 52 minutes with a backhand winner of a third set point.

But the Swiss went straight to working the second set, break for 2-0 but giving it back.

Federer's shots began to take a toll, though as he broke Nalbandian's last two serve to square the match at the 90-minute mark,

In the third, Federer kept up the pressure with a break for 4-2 and closed out victory with a winner two games later.

The first major event of the clay season has strictly followed the formbook, with the top six seeds through to the quarters for the first time at the Masters level since 1999 in Cincinnati.