Djokovic, Nadal set up Rome rematch

Updated May 20, 2012 13:55:41

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic swept past Roger Federer to set up a Rome Masters final rematch with five-time winner Rafael Nadal.

Top seed Djokovic ended Federer's brilliant run of recent clay form, defeating the world number two, and last week's Madrid champion, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) while Nadal reached a seventh Rome final with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-0 win over compatriot David Ferrer.

Federer saved a match point for 5-5 in the second set as he broke Djokovic on a stinging forehand winner.

But he could not extend that battling instinct into the tie-breaker, with Djokovic taking victory on his second winning chance as the Swiss put a backhand long after an hour and 39 minutes on court.

"This was my best match on clay so far," said Djokovic.

"I was focused from the beginning and very determined and concentrated.

"I was hitting the ball well and returning extremely well. I was making him play the extra shot and make errors. I'm very pleased to be back in the final."

After defeating Ferrer for the 12th consecutive time on clay, Nadal will face Djokovic for the 32nd time on Sunday, with the Spaniard going into the contest holding a 17-14 lead.

Nadal won their last meeting in April for the Monte Carlo title, snapping a run of seven consecutive losses to his rival in finals dating back to March 2011.

"I've raised the level of our rivalry," said Djokovic.

"Playing Rafa in the finals again is very encouraging. It is what I want before Roland Garros."

Djokovic controlled Federer in their first meeting since the US Open semis last autumn when Federer held two match points but lost. Since that disappointment he has won seven ATP titles.

"Overall, I wasn't playing quite good enough," said Federer, who admitted that he was relieved the tournament was over.

"I've played a lot of tennis in the last few weeks. Novak was looking fresh, he was better tonight. He really put pressure on me."

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, italy, australia

First posted May 20, 2012 09:19:34

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Stosur, Schiavone facing Paris rematch

Updated May 9, 2011 15:19:00

Samantha Stosur is headed for an appetising French Open final rematch with Francesca Schiavone with the Paris major now on the horizon.

After a first-round bye, Stosur launches her Italian Open campaign on Tuesday against either Gisela Dulko or Iveta Benesova and is on a quarter-final collision course with Schiavone.

Stosur and Schiavone only need to win two matches each to set up what would be a tasty French Open entree in the Italian capital.

Stosur, ranked seven in the world, lost to Schiavone in last year's Roland Garros decider before scoring a consolation victory over the Italian at the season-ending championships in Doha.

Rome will be Stosur's last tournament before the French Open gets underway on Sunday week and the 27-year-old is keen to build confidence before arriving in Paris.

"I just want to play as many matches as I can this week because obviously the more matches you win, the more confident you feel," Stosur said.

"Really, I just want to keep playing well. The last two tournaments in Stuttgart and Madrid I've played a lot better, probably better than I have all year.

"So if I can keep building on that, then I'd be quite happy with that."

After a scratchy start to the season, in which she only made one quarter-final in her first seven events, Stosur has rediscovered some touch since returning to her preferred clay surface last month.

She won five of her seven matches on European red dirt, including a morale-boosting victory over world number three Vera Zvonareva.

"I feel like I've been playing quite well on the practice court the pretty much the whole year," Stosur said.

"So now the last couple of weeks I've been able to move that into matches and obviously when you're winning matches, you feel more confident, you see things a bit clearer on court and you make better decisions and everything kind of flows a bit more.

"I think I've been able to get to that level the last couple of events, especially in Stuttgart.

"I thought I played quite well."

Stosur outclassed Dulko in the first round last year in Rome en route to the quarter-finals, beat the Argentine again last week in Madrid and has won both her career meetings with Benesova.

Should Stosur prevail again on Tuesday, the fifth seed would likely face German 12th seed Andrea Petkovic for the right to face second-seeded Schiavone.

Fellow Australian Jarmila Gajdosova was due to play Italian wildcard Corinna Dentoni in the first round early Tuesday (AEST), while Anastasia Rodionova opens against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.

- AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, australia, italy

First posted May 9, 2011 15:20:00

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