Podcast: Previewing the 2013 French Open Championships

In this week’s show, Nima Naderi and Parsa Samii are back in action with a preview of the 2013 French Open from Paris.

In a two-way showdown for the title, we discuss the chances of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the begin their quest for the year’s second major. We also discuss some of the secondary contenders and provide our dark-horse picks as well.

As always, you can alternatively listen to the #1 tennis PodCast via iTunes and never miss another episode. It is very easy and completely free.

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French Open 2013: Day 1 Preview

by: Tom Cochrane

Unlike the other Grand Slams, the French Open kicks off on a Sunday and, if the gloomy Parisian weather improves, this year’s opening day offers some particularly enticing opening round contests.

Matches of the Day – Day 1

1. Gilles Simon vs. Lleyton Hewitt

Not as flamboyant as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga nor as mercurial as Richard Gasquet or Gael Monfils, fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon is nonetheless one of the leading lights of the tournament’s host nation. Seeded fifteenth at Roland Garros this year, Simon is at his most damaging on fast hard-courts and indoors, where he can use his agility, anticipation, court movement and counter-punching abilities to maximum effect. That said, Simon is still a dangerous player on clay, and he’s the sort of player who one has to beat – the steady Frenchman is not the type of player to throw away a match with a rash of unforced errors.

Simon faces a difficult first round encounter against two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, who is one of the fiercest competitors to ever play on the ATP Tour. The gritty Aussie is coming towards the end of his career but still loves getting out on court and competing against the world’s best. Simon holds a 3-0 career advantage over Hewitt, including a recent win in Miami, and I think the Frenchman will prevail, although I have no doubt that the tenacious Hewitt will make Simon earn the victory. Simon in 5.

2. Marinko Matosevic vs. David Ferrer

Early in 2012 things were looking dire for Australia’s Marinko Matosevic – a poor start to the season had Matosevic questioning his future in the sport. Counselled to give professional tennis one last push, he re-dedicated himself to the sport with astounding results – a finals appearance in Delray Beach being one of the achievements which saw him chosen as the ATP Tour’s most improved player for 2012.

Matosevic isn’t at his best on clay-courts, but the Aussie has nothing to lose against the Spanish clay-court warrior David Ferrer and I expect Matosevic to come out all guns blazing. Ferrer has had another good clay-court season this year, pushing Nadal to the brink in their last two meetings and I expect him to do well in Paris this year, especially with Murray and Del Potro absent from the tournament. Ferrer in 4.

3. Milos Raonic vs. Xavier Malisse

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse is a veteran of the ATP Tour these days and, while his movement and stamina aren’t what they used to be, the Belgian is still a highly talented ball-striker who can get on some very hot streaks.

Whilst Raonic probably has one eye on Wimbledon already, where his ballistic serve is sure to make him a major threat, the Canadian needs to put in a good performance at Roland Garros if he is to earn credibility as a permanent member of the top 20. I think the big-serving Raonic will be too powerful for Malisse in this clash, but the Belgian will make Raonic pay if he has any lapses in concentration. Raonic in 4.

4. Petra Martic vs. Ana Ivanovic

Returning to Paris must always generate fond memories for former world number one Ana Ivanovic, who captured her lone Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2008. The Serb is seeded fourteenth for this year’s championship and will be looking to make another run into the second week of the tournament.

Ivanovic faces a tricky first round assignment against Petra Martic, the Croat who made the round of 16 in Paris last year, upsetting Marion Bartoli along the way. If Ivanovic can serve strongly and execute well on her favoured forehand wing, I think she will book herself a berth in the second round. Ivanovic in 3.

5. Urszula Radwanska vs. Venus Williams

Roland Garros has never been a particularly happy hunting ground for the elder Williams sister, a solitary finals appearance representing her best result in more than a decade of travelling to Paris. Williams is at her best on grass and fast hard-courts, where she can use her tremendous serve to maximum effect and step inside the court to dictate play. On the red dirt, Williams all too often looks laboured in her movements and off-balance when she goes to strike the ball.

After her sister Agnieszka dumped Williams out of last year’s French Open, Urszula Radwanska will be looking to replicate the achievement in this clash. Unfortunately for Urszula, she doesn’t quite have her sister’s court movement and consistency. Despite her frailties on clay, I’ll back Venus to grind her way through this one. Williams in 2.

Put your house on: Serena Williams to avenge her first round defeat at Roland Garros last year with an emphatic victory over her opening round opponent in this year’s tournament, Anna Tatishvili.

Upset alert: Thirty-first seed Marcel Granollers is at his best on the red dirt, but I think the Spaniard will be in for a tough day at the office against his countryman Feliciano Lopez, whose tricky left-handed serve can cause problems for any opponent.

Likely to go the distance: Veteran James Blake is a consummate professional and at this stage of his career the American is looking to savour every last moment that he has at Grand Slam level. His opponent in the first round, Serbia’s Viktor Troicki, has had a patchy start to the year and will be desperate to turn his season around. To my mind, all of those factors add up to one hell of a dogfight.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the tennis and I’ll be back with another serve tomorrow. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter: @satelliteserve.

French Open 2013: Men’s and women’s draw preview and analysis

by: Tom Cochrane

Greetings and welcome to the 2013 French Open Championships and the beginning of 2 weeks of coverage of the year’s second Grand Slam, courtesy of The Satellite Serve.

Coming to you daily during this year’s tournament, The Satellite Serve is back with predictions, opinions and analysis in relation to all the action from Roland Garros.

Tournament predictions – Men’s Singles

The happiest man after the men’s singles draw was announced in Paris yesterday was undoubtedly Roger Federer, and not simply because the Swiss legend has just joined Twitter and is accumulating followers at a furious pace.

The luck of the draw saw Federer’s biggest rivals for the French Open title, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, pitted in the same half of the draw. Whilst Federer will of course have to overcome some seriously talented opponents en route to the final (Federer’s half of the draw includes the clay-court warriors David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, along with the flamboyant Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the big-hitting Tomas Berdych), the second seed will see this tournament, for which both Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro are out injured, as a prime opportunity to capture his second French Open crown and turn around what has been something of a disappointing season to date by the Swiss maestro’s extremely high standards.

All of the talk in tennis circles of late is about Rafael Nadal’s incredible form since returning to the ATP Tour, and the Spaniard’s statistics most certainly make for impressive reading. In 8 tournaments since returning from a 7 month injury lay-off, Nadal has made 8 finals and collected 6 titles. Arguably the best of player of all-time on the red dirt, Nadal has lost just once in his career at Roland Garros, and will this year be looking to collect what would be an astonishing eighth French Open.

Nadal looks to have a relatively good draw prior to the semi-finals, with Italian clay-court specialist Fabio Fognini and Japan’s Kei Nishikori, a recent winner on clay over Roger Federer, the biggest threats lurking in the early rounds. A quarter-final against Stanislas Wawrinka or Richard Gasquet is on the cards, but neither should seriously trouble the Spaniard on his favoured surface.

Despite Nadal’s scintillating start to the season, I’m backing top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic to claim his maiden French Open and complete a career Grand Slam. The Serb has made Paris his priority for 2013 and, although he suffered surprising losses in Madrid and Rome, Djokovic snapped Nadal’s 46-match winning streak in Monte Carlo – a huge confidence booster ahead of Paris.

Although Nadal has been near-untouchable in recent weeks on the red dirt, I think Djokovic still troubles the Spaniard mentally. The world number one is one of the few players not to be intimidated by Nadal and who backs himself to beat the Spaniard, even on the red dirt. Djokovic will go toe-to-toe from the baseline with the Spaniard without giving an inch and has the stamina and the shot-making ability to hurt Nadal.

Last year’s final in Paris between the pair went the distance and, after a poor start, Djokovic was somewhat unlucky not to record a famous comeback victory. I also think that the Serb is fitter than Nadal at present, with the Spaniard not having played any best of 5 set matches since his return to competitive tennis earlier this year. If their scheduled semi-final eventuates and goes the distance, I think Djokovic will be the stronger player physically and mentally down the stretch.

To my mind, Federer should more or less cruise through to the final Sunday of the tournament, but whoever comes through the Nadal-Djokovic half of the draw should be too strong for the Swiss master in the decider. I’ll take Djokovic to dismantle Federer in 4 sets.

Winner: Novak Djokovic

Finalist: Roger Federer

Semi-finalists: Nadal, Ferrer

Outside Chance: Berdych, Almagro

*****

Tournament predictions – Women’s Singles

Last year I picked Serena Williams to win the ladies’ singles at Roland Garros and the American let me down big-time, collapsing in her opening round match against Virginie Razzano. But Williams has bounced back in the best possible way since that defeat, winning 67 of 70 matches since Paris last year and capturing the Wimbledon and US Open titles and the Olympic gold medal along the way.

Clay is most definitely not her strongest surface, but in my opinion Williams is clearly the best player on the WTA Tour when she is fully fit and playing at her best. That means that the American is the player to beat on any surface, including the red dirt, and I’m backing Williams to add to her lone French Open title, which she collected way back in 2002.

German left-hander Angelique Kerber is the player most likely to give Williams difficulty in her quarter of the draw, with the 15-time Grand Slam champion likely to square off in the semi-finals against either last year’s finalist in Paris, Sara Errani, or fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

In the bottom half of the draw, defending champion Maria Sharapova will be hoping to capitalise on her good form of late in order to make a spirited defence of her crown. The Russian has been placed in a difficult quarter, with former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, former French Open finalist Sam Stosur and former world number one Jelena Jankovic all posing major threats.

If Sharapova can negotiate her way past those big names to earn a semi-final berth, she will likely face Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka or 2011 French Open winner Li Na. With Azarenka battling some injury problems since winning in Melbourne earlier in the year and not at her best on clay-courts, I’ll back Sharapova to make it through to another final in Paris.

Unfortunately for the second seed, I think the result will be similar to the recent final in Rome played between Sharapova and Williams, where the American was victorious for the loss of just 4 games. Sharapova’s game is perfectly suited for Williams, who likes to receive a ball with pace and who can climb all over the Russian’s weak and unreliable serve. I’ll back Williams to record a straight sets win in the final.

Winner: Serena Williams

Finalist: Maria Sharapova

Semi-finalists: Errani, Azarenka

Outside Chance: Stosur, Radwanska, Li Na

That’s it for today. I’ll be back with another serve once the schedule of play for Day 1 is released.

“In a Sentence” – Roland Garros Men’s Singles Draw Overview (Top Half)

SECTION 1

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. David Goffin

-          Goffin got to the fourth round last year and made Federer work for his win. Very unfortunate draw this year.

Ivan Dodig vs. Guido Pella

-          Pella was one of the youngest players in the top-100 last year, look for the Argentinian left-hander to make some waves.

Alex Kuznetsov vs. Lucas Pouille

-          Kuznetsov turned pro in 2004 but has less than $600 000 in career earnings; wildcard Pouille is 19 but already has three pro titles to his name

Alejandro Falla vs. Grigor Dimitrov

-          Falla has not won consecutive Tour matches since March, while the surging Dimitrov surprisingly only has 2 match wins in the previous 4 Grand Slam tournaments

Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Dmitri Tursunov

-          The head-to-head is deadlocked at 1-1, Dolgopolov won 7-6 7-6 on clay in Munich a month ago.

Victor Hanescu vs. Bernard Tomic

-          Hanescu is having a late-career climb back up the rankings and is now ranked #55, while Tomic will be struggling for concentration due to his father’s recent run-ins with the law.

Simone Bolelli vs. Yen-Hsun Lu

-          Lu absolutely abhors playing on clay and has managed to only play three matches (1-2) on the red stuff in the past 12 months.

Jiri Vesely vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (16)

-          Vesely won three matches in the qualies to make his first-ever Roland Garros main draw, while Kohlschreiber, an excellent clay courter, will attempt to do better than his second-round appearance last year.

Tommy Haas (12) vs. Guillaume Rufin

-          Rufin, the world #88, is more or less playing the best tennis of his career; Tommy Haas has been having a good 2013 season but had just pulled out of his second round match in Dusseldorf this week with a minor health ailment.

Jack Sock vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

-          Sock surprised more than a few by winning three straight qualifying matches, proving that young Americans are not all bad on clay.

Andrey Kuznetsov vs. Ryan Harrison

-          Harrison is in tough here, having never won a match in Paris and facing Kuznetsov who is quite good on clay.

Carlos Berlocq vs. John Isner (19)

-          Berlocq likes to stand way behind the baseline when returning serve, so Isner can make him look really bad by kicking the serve out wide and coming in behind it.

Mikhail Youzhny (29) vs. Pablo Andujar

-          At 27, Andujar is 3 years younger, but Youzhny has more firepower and is a former quarterfinalist here.

Federico Delbonis vs. Julian Reister

-          Delbonis has done well on clay court Challengers this year, but has not won a Tour-level match since February

Fernando Verdasco vs. Marc Gicquel

-          Ranked #118, the 36-year old Gicquel got in by the skin of his teeth; he’s also one of the least agreeable characters on Tour due to his temper.

Nicolas Mahut vs. Janko Tipsarevic (8)

-          Despite Roland Garros being his home Grand Slam, Mahut has only managed 2 main draw wins in Paris since 2000.

SECTION 2

Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Daniel Brands

-          Brands is 6’5”, has a Rosol-esque power game and does not mind playing on clay.

Martin Klizan vs. Michael Russell

-          Klizan held a career-best ranking of #26 in 2012, but is only 6-13 so far in 2013.

Pere Riba vs. Lukas Rosol

-          Despite having the type of game which translates best to faster surfaces, Rosol actually had an 11-match winning streak on clay in April of this year.

Andrea Beck vs. Fabio Fognini (27)

-          Coming off a long injury layoff, Beck used a protected ranking to get into the qualies and won three straight matches to earn his shot at the main draw.

Benoit Paire (24) vs. Marcos Baghdatis

-          The seeded Paire is a light favorite, but Baghdatis won the pair’s only meeting in Rotterdam earlier this year.

Lukasz Kubot vs. Maxime Teixeira

-          Ranked 284, this will be Texieira’s first main draw match in a Grand Slam event since 2011.

Grega Zemlja vs. Santiago Giraldo

-          Zemlja comes into this match holding a career-best ranking, while Giraldo has not won back-to-back Tour matches since Acapulco in February.

Jesse Levine vs. Kei Nishikori (13)

-          The two Florida-trained player both like to play a run-and-gun type of baseline game; Nishikori won their only career meeting thus far 7-6 in the third back in 2010.

Stanislas Wawrinka (9) vs. Thiemo De Bakker

-          Outside of Davis Cup, the #92-ranked De Bakker has only played 5 Tour-level matches this year, compiling a 2-3 record.

Vasek Pospisil vs. Horacio Zeballos

-          Pospisil’s Tour record in 2013 stands at 2-4, while Zeballos is 8-11.

Kenny De Schepper vs. Robin Haase

-          At 6’8”, the left-handed De Schepper towers over his 6’4” opponent, though he is ranked about 30 spots lower.

Albert Ramos vs. Jerzy Janowicz (21)

-          Though Janowicz is the favored player here, Ramos did beat him in their only meeting, on clay in Barcelona less than a month ago.

Florian Mayer (28) vs. Denis Istomin

-          Historically, Istomin has been brutal on clay, having not won consecutive matches on the surface since 2010, when he made the quarters in Hamburg.

Florent Serra vs. Nikolai Davydenko

-          Serra has a single Tour-level win in 2013, obtained when he beat #182-ranked David Guez in Nice this past week.

Michal Przysiezny vs. Rhyne Williams

-          Surprisingly enough, Williams has done significantly better on clay in the past year than Przysiezny, having made the semis in Houston earlier this year.

Sergiy Stakhovsky vs. Richard Gasquet (7)

-          Gasquet leads the head-to-head 2-1 and won the pair’s only Grand Slam confrontation in straight sets at the 2011 US Open.

(Bottom half preview coming up tomorrow)

Jack is a Montreal-based marketing professional and business lecturer. In addition to writing for Tennis Connected and traveling the world to cover the pro game, he also write about business for IndecentXposure.com. Check out his work for IX here.

Twitter: @KSplayersClub

Instagram: SoireeCulturelle

Brad, Ivan or Someone Else – Who’ll Be Milos’ New Coach?

Since parting with long-time coach Galo Blanco earlier this month, Milos Raonic’s team seems to be actively looking for potential candidates to fill the coaching void. Former world #3 Ivan Ljubicic was seen in Raonic’s box in Rome, while Neil Harman of The Times has reported that Brad Gilbert is currently “helping out” the Canadian in his Roland Garros preparations.

Given Ljubicic’s career achievements and Brad Gilbert’s impressive coaching pedigree, we can safely assume that both men would be well qualified to give their inputs to Raonic. It’s hard to say who Milos will end up working with full-time, if it’s even either of those two, but let’s take a quick look at what each brings to the table:

TACTICAL

While Ljubicic’s coaching experience is very limited, his natural playing style does mesh very well with Raonic’s. The Croat’s serve has always been his strongest attribute, and he might be able to teach Raonic how to best take advantage of his reach and power while protecting his unspectacular movement, something Ivan has been able to do en route to a career-high #3 ranking, behind Federer and Nadal, in 2006.

Brad Gilbert is probably best known for transforming a young Andy Roddick from a promising talent into a world number 1 in 2003 by tapping into the American’s tremendous athletic talents. Since Raonic is as close as it gets to a 2013 equivalent of Roddick, the same approach might pay dividends with the Canadian. Keep in mind that it was Brad Gilbert who convinced a skeptical Andy Roddick that he, indeed, could succeed on grass, even though Andy struggled at Queen’s and Wimbledon early on in his career.

PSYCHOLOGICAL

A friend of mine who grew up playing junior tennis against Raonic in Canada once told me that Milos was a lot more emotional and demonstrative on-court back in the juniors than on the ATP tour. It seems that over the years, Milos has learnd to play more within himself mentally, much like his idol Pete Sampras. There is no denying that being able to stay level-headed in clutch situations has helped him win more than his share of tiebreaks and deciding sets, but would showing more emotions allow him to intimidate his opponents and otherwise get into their heads?

On the one hand, staying with the same mental approach which brought him to the cusp of the top ten is a safe bet. On the other hand, perhaps a change on that front is just what Milos needs in order to make the breakthrough from “pretty good” to “Grand Slam contender.” Considering that Ivan Ljubicic was also usually pretty quiet and even-keeled on the court, I’m not sure how much he’ll have to share with Milos on that front. Meanwhile, having coached fiery characters such as Agassi, Roddick and Murray, Brad Gilbert should be a lot better placed to advise the Canadian on the pros and cons of wearing your heart on your sleeve.

EMOTIONAL

Because of their shared ancestry (both Montenegro, the country of Raonic’s birth, and Croatia used to be a part of Yugoslavia) and low-key demeanors, Ivan and Milos should be able to find some common ground and shared understanding from a personal point of view.

Conversely, the famously talkative Gilbert might be a bit of a shock to the system for Milos. Milos doesn’t drink and doesn’t really have many interests beside tennis; Brad loves beer and is a man of a world, in his own way. Having interviewed Milos at Davis Cup and talked with Brad on a few occasions at Flushing Meadows, it seems that it would take a bit of work to make the partnership feasible long-term. The question is, would Brad be able to adjust his coaching style and find an optimal way to get through to Milos, or would Milos get tired of how much Brad talks (about tennis, other sports or life in general).

CONCLUSION

Historically, Brad’s done the best with Agassi and Roddick, two extroverted, fun-loving guys who, like him, didn’t mind hamming it up once in a while. His partnerships with Mary Pierce, Tatiana Golovin, Andy Murray, Sam Querrey and Kei Nishikori haven’t been as enduring perhaps because Brad works his magic the best when his charge also happened to be his best buddy. Meanwhile, Ivan seems to be a pretty good fit from a personal point of view, but does not have Gilbert’s extensive coaching experience and tactic savvy from which to draw upon.

What’s actually going to happen with Milos’ coaching situation remains to be seen, but at least he seems to be starting his search in the right place.

Jack is a Montreal-based marketing professional and business lecturer. In addition to writing for Tennis Connected and traveling the world to cover the pro game, he also write about business for IndecentXposure.com. Check out his work for IX here.

Twitter: @KSplayersClub

Instagram: SoireeCulturelle

Tennis Elbow: Back for the first time

Welcome to Tennis Elbow, a new column that will look back on the week that was in the world of tennis. This week, Charles Blouin-Gascon recaps the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Whatever the 2013 season is for Rafael Nadal, don’t call it a comeback because it is so clearly reminiscent of how he first broke through—but more on this shortly.

The latest for the 26-year-old came this past week in Rome for the 2013 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, also known as the Rome Masters 1000. On his way to the title, Nadal won all but two of the sets that he played, and in the final dismantled Roger Federer by the score of 6-1, 6-3.

This proves that though time moves on, some things never change.

For example, Federer still really can’t beat Nadal, especially not on clay. Also, Nadal remains the greatest clay court player on the ATP World Tour—and it’s not really even close. By now the narrative is well known. After a seven-month layoff to nurse a knee injury following a second-round loss at Wimbledon, the Spaniard has now come back and proven to be fully healthy in 2013. He has mostly picked and carefully selected his events, which really means that he’s decided to focus on clay court events with only the 2013 BNP Paribas Open played on hard courts.

And the formula has worked for him—he’s reached the final of every event that he signed up for, winning six. His record is 36-2, with one of the losses a fluke against unknown Horacio Zeballos way back in February.

These days, the only man capable of giving fits to Nadal on clay is Novak Djokovic. The Serb did as much in Monaco, but couldn’t live up to his side of the bargain and lost in the quarterfinals against Tomas Berdych. (My money is on the fact that Djokovic has understood that the only event that really means anything for him now is the French Open, still the only prize left for him to add to his mantle. He’ll take losses in a Masters 1000 event if it means he can preserve energy and reach his peak for Roland Garros.)

Berdych was chopped liver for Nadal, much like David Ferrer before him, Ernests Gulbis before him and Fabio Fognini before him—and much like King Roger would be in the final.

Skepticism? Please. Nadal has won just about every match that he has played this year and, regardless of the surface, that means something.

I think he’s made sure that most of his matches have come on his favourite surface for the simple reason that he probably wants to put everything that he has in his Roland Garros defense. The way that I see it, it’s like him and his uncle Toni have told each other that if he can dominate the clay court season as he always does and win the French Open in 2013, then no matter what else follows would be a bonus.

This season, Nadal has proven to be back like the first time. His 2005 season is the one where he established himself atop, or near the top of, the ATP rankings and it remains his most prolific season still with 11 titles. Among those titles were Acapulco, Madrid, Barcelona, and Rome.

He has six far so far this year, with the four mentioned just above among the haul. The French croissant (i.e. Roland Garros) is just ahead. That would give him a seventh title for 2013—and it would make his season a successful one.

Beyond that, then he’s just playing with house money. As he knows from his partnership with Poker Stars, it’s not a bad situation to be in.

Follow Charles Blouin-Gascon on Twitter @CeeeBG

Podcast: Reviewing Fedal No. 30 in Rome

In this week’s show, Nima Naderi and Parsa Samii are back in action with a review of the Rome Masters from Italy.

Back with another Fedal title match after two years, we look into a rivalry that has spanned 30 matches. We also discuss Djokovic’s meltdown from 6-2, 5-2 up against Berdych and ask if the loss will dent the top seed’s title bid in Paris?

As always, you can alternatively listen to the #1 tennis PodCast via iTunes and never miss another episode. It is very easy and completely free.

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Nadal wins 7th Rome title with easy win over Federer

Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy

No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal completed a comprehensive lead up to Roland Garros on Sunday, defeating long-time rival Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3 to win the Rome Masters for a seventh time.

Breaking out to a 5-1 lead, Nadal won 100 percent of his second serve points in the first set to 25 percent for Federer. Breaking serve on five occasions, Nadal improved to 20-10 in the pair’s head-to-head and 13-2 against Federer on clay-courts. Winning the 56th title of his career and 24th overall Masters 1000 event, Nadal is now placed atop the points race for 2013. The Spaniard also moved up to No. 4 in the computer rankings with his victory. Federer, who was looking to win his first title of the season, fell to 0-3 in Rome finals.

Both superstars will next see action at the French Open in Paris.

Nadal to face Federer for 30th time in Rome final

Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy

No. 2 seed Roger Federer and No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal set up their 30th career meeting on Saturday in Rome, defeating Benoit Paire and Tomas Berdych in straight sets, respectively.

Playing Paire for the third time this year, Federer needed a tight first set before he closed out the Frenchman 7-6(5), 6-4. Overcoming eight aces by his opponent, Federer won 77 percent of his first serve points and broke serve on two occasions. Playing in his third career Rome final, Federer will meet none other six-time winner Nadal. The Spaniard put forth a comprehensive effort in defeating Berdych 6-2, 6-4 earlier in the day. Nadal will be chasing his sixth title in 2013 after winning in Indian Wells and Madrid. Federer trails Nadal 19-10 in the pair’s head-to-head and 12-2 on clay courts.

Nadal reaches semifinals in Rome; Djokovic defeated by Berdych

Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy

Quarterfinal results:

(6) Tomas Berdych defeats (1) Novak Djokovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4; (5) Rafael Nadal defeats (4) David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Benoit Paire defeats Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-0.

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