Tennis
Nadal to face Robredo in Barcelona final BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Defending champion Rafael Nadal won his 46th straight match on clay, defeating fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (2), 6-3 Saturday to reach the final at the Open Seat Godo.
Tommy Robredo, the 2004 champion, beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 to set up an all-Spanish final.
“It could be a long match as he runs a lot,” Robredo said of his final against the top-seeded Nadal.
The No. 2-ranked Nadal matched 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg with 46 straight victories on clay. Guillermo Villas holds the Open era record with 53.
“You can’t compare me to Borg, he was the greatest tennis player of all time,” Nadal said. “I can’t see myself winning five Wimbledons.”
But Almagro doesn’t see an end to Nadal’s winning streak.
“I think Rafa will make his own mark on the game,” he said. “Whoever beats him on clay will have earned great merit.”
Massu, Bracciali to meet for Casablanca honors
CASABLANCA, Morocco – Top-seeded Nicolas Massu of Chile and seventh-seeded Daniele Bracciali of Italy advanced to the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Saturday.
Massu beat unseeded Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-2, 6-4. Bracciali was leading 6-0, 3-0 when eighth-seeded Gilles Simon of France retired with a leg injury.
Massu remains on course for his seventh career ATP title in Sunday’s final after winning this season in Costa do Sauipe. He also reached the final at Vina del Mar.