Rafa Poised For Fourth Monte-Carlo Title

Rafael Nadal is one win away from an Open Era-record fourth Masters Series Monte-Carlo title after defeating Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-2 in Saturday's semifinals. Nadal next meets the winner of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Despite the seemingly lopsided scoreline, Davydenko took the fight to Nadal but was brought undone by his inability to hold serve: The Russian won just four of his nine service games. In contrast, Nadal faced five break points during the match but was broken only once. Nadal was particularly damaging on Davydenko's second serve, winning 70 percent of those points.

Nadal has won his past nine matches at Masters Series Monte-Carlo without dropping a set. Indeed during the past four years he has won 17 of his 21 matches in straight sets.

The three-time defending champion is trying to become the first player to win four straight tournament titles since New Zealand’s Anthony Wilding from 1911-14. Last year he tied Ilie Nastase’s Open Era mark of three consecutive titles from 1971-73.

Nadal has a 23-1 career record (21 straight wins) in Monte-Carlo, with his only loss coming in the third round to Guillermo Coria in 2003. (He did not play in 2004 due to injury).

Nadal is also in the doubles semifinals (w/Robredo) and will play No. 8 seeds Bjorkman-Ullyett late on Saturday. The last player to reach the singles and doubles finals in the same year was Ivan Lendl in 1988 (d. Jaite in singles), lost in doubles. No player has ever won the singles and doubles titles at the same ATP Masters Series event (since 1990).

The 21-year-old Mallorca native has reached his third ATP final of the season from seven tournaments. He enters the final with a 26-6 match record on the year. He is trying to capture his first ATP title in nine months since July 22, ‘07 in Stuttgart (d. Wawrinka). In his last tournament at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on April 6, he lost to Davydenko in the final.

Nadal has ranked No. 2 for a record 144 consecutive weeks (since July 25, 2005-present). He has a 137-13 career record on clay (18 titles). and has won 97 of 98 clay court matches since Monte Carlo in April 2005).