Nadal, Djokovic to Madrid final
Published:Sunday | May 8, 2011 | 12:00 AM
MADRID (AP):
Rafael Nadal cried for countryman Seve Ballesteros, then went out and extended his dominance on clay to beat rival Roger Federer in front of the Spanish fans.
The top-ranked Nadal rallied to reach his third straight Madrid Open final with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 victory yesterday. The surging Novak Djokovic awaits after the Serb rallied to beat unseeded Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The first match got off to a sombre start, with Nadal tearing up during an homage to the golf great, who died earlier yesterday.
Nadal controlled the early stages before uncharacteristic errors allowed the third-ranked Swiss player back into the match to win the first set.
But the defending champion took command after that, as he converted four break points over the next two sets to win his 37th straight match on clay and extend his record to 11-2 against Federer on the surface.
Nadal will try for his first title in three attempts against Djokovic in 2011 after the second-ranked Serb extended his perfect start to the season to 31 matches, equalling Bjorn Borg's streak in 1980 and behind only John McEnroe's 42 straight victories in 1984.
Djokovic has won five titles on the current run - including the Australian Open - and is 33-0 stretching to last year's Davis Cup win to pass Nadal for the eighth-longest streak.
The big-hitting Brazilian overwhelmed Djokovic early on before the Serb showed more energy and better shot placement to ensure the top-two players will meet in today's final.
Earlier, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus ended German Julia Goerges' 10-match winning streak 6-4, 6-2 to set up the women's final against Czech Petra Kvitova, who ousted sixth-seeded Li Na of China 6-3, 6-1.
Azarenka - who ensured she would move up one spot to a career-best No. 4 in the rankings by reaching the final
Nadal was visibly upset when he watched a video screen showing highlights of Ballesteros' career, as was former tennis great Manolo Santana, who watched from the stands. The 54-year-old Ballesteros died early yesterday of brain cancer.