May 13, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1428

ROME, May 12: Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal defeated Serb Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 to reach semi-finals of the Rome Masters on Friday.

The victory for the world number two extended his record winning streak on clay to 75 matches and set up a last four meeting with Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko.

Fifth seed Djokovic, who leads the ATP with 33 wins, was the last player to beat Nadal having won their hardcourt Miami quarter-final on March 29.

But reigning Rome champion Nadal is a different proposition on clay and the Serbian 19-year-old, winner of three ATP titles this year, rarely troubled the Mallorcan left-hander.

Nadal has triumphed here for the past two years and is aiming to become the first player to win the Foro Italico event three times in a row.

The 20-year-old Spaniard's task was made easier when world number one Roger Federer, whom he beat in last year's Rome final, was knocked out in the third round by Italian wild card Filippo Volandri.

Nadal, whose last defeat on clay was way back in April, 2005 against Russian Igor Andreev in the Valencia quarter-finals, insisted his victory over Djokovic was not as easy as it looked.

Davydenko, 25, put his recovery down to his superior fitness.

The claycourt Rome Masters is a warm-up for the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, which starts on May 27.

Russian fourth-seed Nikolay Davydenko and Italian wild card Filippo Volandri also clinched places in the Rome Masters semi-finals.

Davydenko beat Tommy Robredo 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, while Volandri, who caused a huge upset on Thursday when he knocked out world number one Roger Federer in the third round, had an easier passage with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Czech 12th seed Tomas Berdych.

Davydenko admitted he was outclassed by Robredo in the first set before the Spanish seventh seed ran out of steam.

“It was really difficult for me at the start because Robredo played some superb tennis and had me running all over the place,” said the world number four.

“But in the second set he started to tire while I got stronger.” Volandri was in raptures after reaching his first Masters Series semi-final in 26 attempts.”

The clay court Rome Masters is a warm-up for the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, which starts on May 27.

GERMAN OPEN

Serbian Jelena Jankovic admitted she was bitterly disappointed as world number one Justine Henin battled into the final four of the German Open on Saturday with a hard fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

The 24-year-old Henin was 3-6, 6-4, 4-0 down in the third set when she produced a superb display of tennis to win the next six games to book her place in Saturday's semi-final and keep alive her bid for a fourth German Open title.

Having never beaten Henin in four attempts, Jankovic was visibly upset to have let the number one seed off the hook and was powerless against Henin's copy-book tennis.

“But it was all my own mistake that I lost, I wasted all my chances to win.”Henin said: “It's always difficult to explain how that happens but I fought all the way. I think she was a little nervous at the end.”Henin, who has won here three times since 2002 and was a finalist last year, meets Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-final later Saturday with the winner meeting Serb Ana Ivanovic.

Ivanovic went through to the final after Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko, who accounted for number two seed Amelie Mauresmo and Dinara Safina on Friday, was forced to withdraw with a hand injury with the score at 4-3 in the first set.

Julia Vakulenko overcame a injured left foot Friday to vanquish two top-10 ranked players, including No. 2 seed Amelie Mauresmo, reaching the semi-finals of the German Open.

The 53rd-ranked Ukrainian, down a set when her match with Mauresmo was suspended Thursday because of numerous rain delays, returned Friday to win 11 of 13 games and complete a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over the third-ranked Frenchwoman to advance to the quarterfinals.

A few hours later, taking painkillers to subdue the pain in her swollen foot, she beat No. 8 seed and 10th-ranked Dinara Safina 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Vakulenko, who will be playing in only her second career semifinal and first in more than three years, next faces No. 12 Ana Ivanovic, who eliminated 15th seeded Patty Schnyder, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova _ a 7-6 (5), 6-4 winner against Nadia Petrova _ will play the winner between top seed Justine Henin and No. 5 Jelena Jankovic.

Jankovic led the quarterfinal 6-3, 4-4 before darkness suspended play. It was the day's second match for Henin, who routed Maria Elena Camerin of Italy 6-1, 6-3 in another third-round delayed a day due to the weather.

Mauresmo, a two-time German Open winner, appeared to be in control of her match with Vakulenko on Thursday when darkness forced a suspension. But the Ukrainian won seven straight games when the match resumed.

When Mauresmo finally won a game to trail 2-1 in the final set, she shook her racket and screamed. Two games later, however, she double-faulted to fall behind 4-1.

The German Open was Mauresmo's first event since an appendectomy in March.

Mauresmo, who won Wimbledon and the Australian Open last year, says she no longer feels the same pressure to win Roland Garros as a Frenchwoman. She has never advanced past the quarterfinals.

Against Kuznetsova, Petrova let a 4-1 lead slip in the first-set tiebreaker. The two Russians will play doubles together at next year's Beijing Olympics.

Results:

ROME MASTERS:

Quarter-finals:

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Novak Djokovic (SRB x5) 6-2, 6-3; Filippo Volandri (ITA) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE x12) 6-2, 6-3; Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x4) bt Tommy Robredo (ESP x7) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x6) bt Juan Igancio Chela (ARG) 6-3, 6-4.—Agencies

GERMAN OPEN:

Quarter-finals:

Justine Henin (BEL x1) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x5) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x3) bt Nadia Petrova (RUS x7) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4; Ana Ivanovic (SRB x12) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI x15) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4; Julia Vakulenko (UKR) bt Dinara Safina (RUS x8) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.