Nadal Closes on Borg Record, Serena Parties in Miami

Break-out player Nicolas Almagro ousted No. 10-seeded Spanish countryman and former Roland Garros champ Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3 to round out three of the four Spaniards in the semis. Unseeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka was happily the odd man out Friday, coming from a set down to beat serving giant "Dr." Ivo Karlovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Saturday's match-ups will see (6) Robredo vs. Wawrinka (Robredo leads career meetings 1-0), and an all-Spanish in (1) Nadal vs. Almagro (Nadal leads 1-0).

McEnroe, Courier Vie for Final at Seniors Boston

John McEnroe beat Pat Cash 7-6 (5), 6-4, and Todd Martin swept Mats Wilander 6-4, 6-2 during the night session Friday at the Outback Champions Series event to put the two Americans in the drivers seat for a spot in the Sunday final at the senior stop in Boston.

In the day matches two players improved to 2-0 in round robin play when Goran Ivanisevic out-served Mikael Pernfors 6-2, 6-4, and Jim Courier came back to beat Aaron Krickstein 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-5 in a champion's tiebreak.
 
Lining up Saturday in Boston are Krickstein vs. Wilander, McEnroe vs. Ivanisevic for a place in the final, Courier vs. T.Martin for a place in the final, and Cash vs. Pernfors.

Massu Rolls Into Semis at ATP Casablanca

Top-seeded Nicolas Massu continued his charge toward a second claycourt title of the year Friday, defeating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 7-6(3) to advance into the semifinals at the ATP stop in Casablanca.

Also into the semis were (7) Daniele Bracciali (d. (2) Horna), (8) Gilles Simon (d. (3) C.Rochus), and unseeded German Bjorn Phau (d. Vanek).

It is the first career ATP semifinal for the Italian Bracciali.

In the semifinals (7) Bracciali will face (8) Simon, and (1) Massu vs. Phau, both first-time meetings.

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