Nadal Sets Up Blockbuster QF With Ferrer

Rafael Nadal set up a blockbuster quarterfinal showdown with fellow Spaniard David Ferrer after dismissing Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-1 at Masters Series Monte-Carlo Thursday. Chasing a record fourth consecutive title, Nadal has lost his past two matches against Ferrer.

Nadal lost to Ferrer at last year's Tennis Masters Cup and also in the US Open fourth round, but he does lead his countryman 3-1 in career meetings on clay.

Against Ferrero Nadal jumped to an early lead only to see the former two-time Monte-Carlo champion rally to level the match at 4-4. Nadal needed three sets points on the Ferrero serve to close out the set, clinching it after a dramatic point: After a lengthy baseline exchange, Nadal scrambled forward into the service box to lift a delicate lob over the head of Ferrero, who turned, ran backwards and hit a high-risk between-the-legs shot to keep the point alive. The players then resumed their dogged baseline battle, which finally ended with a brutal Nadal off-forehand deep in the forehand corner.

The three-time defending champion is trying to become the first player to win four straight titles at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in the Open Era. Last year he tied Ilie Nastase’s mark of three consecutive titles from 1971-73. Nadal has an astounding 21-1 career record in Monaco, 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 appearing in his first ATP clay court tournament of the season after compiling a 22-6 match record on hard courts. He is trying to capture his first ATP title in nine months: since July 22, 2007 in Stuttgart (d. Wawrinka). In his last tournament at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami earlier this month, Nadal lost to No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko in the final.

Nadal has ranked No. 2 for a record 144 consecutive weeks (since July 25, 2005-present). He has a 135-13 career record on clay (18 titles). In 2007 he captured five of his six season titles on clay at AMS Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, AMS Rome, Roland Garros and Stuttgart. His only loss on the surface came to Roger Federer in the Hamburg final, which snapped a record 81-match clay court winning streak on the surface. He has won 95 of 96 clay court matches since April 2005).