Nadal Straight-Sets Ferrero at ATP Bastad

In what save for the luck of the draw should have been the final, top-seeded French Open holder Rafael Nadal defeated former French winner Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3 Friday in the quarterfinals at the ATP claycourt stop in Bastad.

"I played good on the important points," said Nadal, who has now won all three meetings with Ferrero. "You look at the scoreboard and it says 6-3 6-3, but the match was very tough. It was my best match in the tournament so far. I played with good determination."

It was the 27th consecutive claycourt win for Nadal.

Also into the semis was another Spaniard in (3) Tommy Robredo (d. (6) Youzhny from a set down), joined by two unseeded Czechs in Tomas Berdych (d. Zabaleta) and Jiri Vanek (d. O.Hernandez).

Saturday's semifinals line up as (1) Nadal vs. (3) Robredo in an all-Spanish first meeting, and Berdych vs. Vanek in an all-let-me-write-you-a Czech first tour meeting. In doubles the semifinals are (1) Aspelin/Perry vs. Bjorkman/J.Johansson, and (3) Acasuso/Prieto vs. Monaco/Nadal.