Fri May 2 16:06:18 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Nadal, Ferrer reach semis in Barcelona

---

Barcelona, Spain (Sports Network) - Heavy Spanish crowd favorites Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer highlighted Friday's quarterfinal winners at the $1.29 million Open Sabadell Atlantico tennis event.

The top-seeded and three-time defending Barcelona champion Nadal cruised past 11th-seeded Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-2 to secure the 101st victory in his last 102 matches on clay. Nadal overcame a 2-4 deficit in the first set before dismissing Chela.

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, will face German Denis Gremelmayr in Saturday's semifinals.

Meanwhile, the second-seeded 2007 Tennis Masters Cup runner-up Ferrer held off sixth-seeded fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 on the red clay at Barcelona Tennis Club. Robredo captured this tournament four years ago.

The world No. 5 Ferrer's semifinal opponent will be 14th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, who snuck past Spain's Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4 on Day 5.

The aforementioned Gremelmayr ousted 10th-seeded Spanish clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7) in Friday's nightcap.

The 2008 Barcelona winner will collect $210,000.