tricityherald.com / Sports / Sports Wire / Tennis

Print E-Mail

Saturday, May. 03, 2008

Nadal, Ferrer advance to final in Barcelona

By Sports Network

Heavy Spanish crowd favorites Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer both advanced in straight-set fashion on Saturday, setting up an all-Spanish final at the $1.29 million Open Sabadell Atlantico tennis event.

The top-seeded and three-time defending Barcelona champion Nadal cruised past German Denis Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-0 to secure his 102nd victory in his last 103 matches on clay, and moved his career mark at Barcelona to 20-1.

The reigning three-time French Open titlist Nadal is fresh off his fourth straight Monte Carlo championship last week, having beaten world No. 1 Roger Federer in a lucrative final there.

Nadal, who beat Argentine Guillermo Canas in last year's Barcelona finale, is looking for his 25th career title, and his second this year.

Meanwhile, the second-seeded 2007 Tennis Masters Cup runner-up Ferrer held off 14th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (10-8), 6-3 on the red clay at Barcelona Tennis Club. Ferrer will try to upset his countryman and take home his seventh career title on Sunday.

The 2008 Barcelona winner will collect $210,000.