AP News, May 11th, 2007
Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 on Friday in the Rome Masters for his 75th consecutive win on clay, matching John McEnroe's streak for most victories on one surface.
McEnroe, who watched Nadal's latest win from a courtside seat, had a 75-match winning streak on indoor carpet between September 1983 and April 1985.
Nadal can break the record Saturday in the semifinals against fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, who rallied to beat Tommy Robredo 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Earlier, Filippo Volandri followed up his win over Roger Federer by beating 12th-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-3, becoming the first Italian to reach the final four in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1978.
Panatta also was the last Italian to win the tournament, in 1976.
"This is beyond my own expectations," said Volandri, who entered on a wild-card invitation. "I had a little bit more pressure than yesterday, but I played another perfect match."
Volandri will play sixth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Juan Ignacio Chela.
Nadal has been complaining of dizziness and a stomach problem, but his game wasn't affected.
Toward the end of the first set, Nadal hit balls on the lines and passing shots with such ease that even Djokovic applauded by clapping his hand to his racket.
Djokovic was the last player to beat Nadal _ on hard courts in the quarterfinals in Key Biscayne, Fla., in March _ but the Serb looked drained from winning the Estoril Open last week and two tough matches in Rome.
Nadal hasn't lost a set in 13 matches on clay this season. He is attempting to become the first player to win this French Open warmup three consecutive times.
Thomas Muster and Jaroslav Drobny _ a Czech player in the 1950s _ also won in Rome three times, but not in succession.
For the second straight day, the 53rd-ranked Volandri gave his highly favored opponent trouble with his steady groundstrokes and deep service returns.
Volandri committed only 14 unforced errors to Berdych's 32, and did not face any break points.
"It's another decisive result, which means opponents are having trouble against me because I'm playing at such a high level," Volandri said.
Like during his straight-set win over Federer on Thursday, Volandri was aided by the partisan crowd. After each point Volandri won, fans banged together inflatable balloons provided by a sponsor.
"Another day with the stadium completely full _ it means a lot to me," Volandri said.
It's the first time Volandri has reached the semifinals of a Masters series event.
"For it to happen here, I couldn't ask for more," he said.
Berdych had beaten Volandri in their previous three meetings, all in straight sets.
