Nadal Wins in Straight Sets to Reach Swedish Final
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
June 9th, 2005
BASTAD, Sweden -- Top-seeded Rafael Nadal beat fellow-Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-3 Saturday to reach the Swedish Open final.
The 19-year-old French Open champion won his fourth consecutive straight-set match in the clay-court event, one of the oldest on the ATP Tour. He has won 28 straight matches on clay since April.
In Sunday's final, Nadal will face the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, who beat countryman Jiri Vanek 7-5, 6-1.
Nadal was seldom challenged in the first set and coasted to a 4-0 lead in the second after breaking Robredo's serve twice.
The third-seeded Robredo then came alive, breaking Nadal's serve to love to make it 4-1. Nadal continued to struggle in his next two service games, facing triple break point twice. He managed to hold each time, clinching the match when Robredo hit another forehand just wide when trying for a down-the-line shot.
"I lost my concentration when I led 4-0 in the second, but I stepped up my game. I'm very happy to have reached another final and the first here in Bastad," said Nadal, a quarterfinalist the last two years.
He will try to win his seventh singles final of the year in this picturesque Swedish seaside resort. Roger Federer leads the tour with eight titles.
With the semifinal win, Nadal improved his tour-leading record on clay to 42-2 this season. Overall, he's 53-8 this season.
Nadal also has an 18-match winning streak against his countrymen since losing to David Ferrer in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart last July.
Robredo was the third Spaniard that Nadal faced this week after posting straight-set wins over Alberto Martin and Juan Carlos Ferrero. In the first round, Nadal ousted his Argentine doubles partner Juan Monaco.
Berdych won a low-quality opening set with a forehand winner into the corner after Vanek double-faulted to give him set point. Berdych then raced to a quick 5-0 lead in the second set.
"I didn't feel so good on the court, but I won this important match and I'm very happy to be in the final," said the 19-year-old Berdych, who won his only title in Palermo last year.
"This tournament is much, much better. The players are better. Rafael Nadal is playing so good on clay, I think he's only lost twice this year. I'll try to play better tomorrow because I didn't do my best today."
Sunday's final will be the first time two teenagers meet in an ATP title match since Delray Beach in 1999 when 18-year-old Lleyton Hewitt beat 18-year-old Xavier Malisse.
ATP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service.
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