BARCELONA, 24 April 2005 — Teenager Rafael Nadal outgunned Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-2 yesterday to set up an all-Spanish clash against a revived Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final of the Barcelona Open.
The 18-year-old, who became the youngest winner of a Masters Series event in 15 years after last week’s victory in Monte Carlo, brought the 6,000 crowd to its feet with another exhibition of aggressive, high-quality clay-court tennis against his Czech opponent.
Earlier, former world No. 1 Ferrero claimed a place in his first ATP final in more than a year with an assured 7-6, 6-1 victory over Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
Ferrero, who beat French Open champion Gaston Gaudio in a high-quality quarterfinal clash, began to find his rhythm midway through the first set, pressuring the Davydenko serve in the seventh game and then breaking in the ninth to go 5-4 up.
Agassi, Haas Ousted in ATP Quarterfinals
In Houston, Texas, second seed Andre Agassi and defending champion Tommy Haas were upset in the quarterfinals of the $380,000 ATP US Clay Court Championships on Friday while top seed Andy Roddick advanced.
French sixth seed Sebastien Grosjean advanced by ousting American star Agassi 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 while seventh seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria dethroned Germany’s Haas 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. Roddick, who won here in 2001 and 2002, advanced to a semifinal matchup with Melzer by beating Peruvian eighth seed Luis Horna 6-4, 6-1.
Grosjean booked a semifinal date Saturday with Ecuadoran qualifier Nicolas Lapentti, who outlasted American wild card James Blake 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) in a night quarterfinal.
Roddick, who has not lost a set this week, has won 21 of his first 25 ATP matches this season. He seeks his second title of the year after winning in February at San Jose.
Agassi, one week shy of his 35th birthday, was bidding for his 60th career title in his fifth quarterfinal of the year. He has yet to reach a final.
Depleted Russia and France Struggle in Fed Cup
In London, Russia, without their three grand slam singles winners, had Elena Dementieva to thank for bringing the champions level against Italy after the opening day of their Fed Cup World Group tie yesterday.
Francesca Schiavone won 7-5, 6-3 against Dinara Safin, the sister of Australian Open champion Marat Safin, on the red clay in Puglia before Dementieva, a US and French Open finalist in 2004, beat Tathiana Garbin 6-4, 6-3.
France, who lost to Russia in the 2004 final, were hit by the late withdrawal of world No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo before their tie in Austria and unexpectedly lost the opening tie when Yvonne Meusburger downed Nathalie Dechy 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Ranked 116 places below Dechy, the 21-year-old Austrian displayed little sign of nerves in front of the home crowd. Dechy struggled to find her rhythm and looked a shadow of the player who reached this year’s Australian Open semifinals.
Mauresmo, who controversially withdrew from the 2004 final to concentrate on her preparations for the 2005 season, pulled out yesterday due to stomach problems and was replaced by Virginie Razzano.
Razzano brought her team level at 1-1 against surprise selection Tamira Paszek, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, 6-3 6-3.
Chosen by captain Alfred Tesar at the expense of Austrian No. 2 Sybille Bammer, Paszek was making her Fed Cup debut less than one month after contesting her first WTA tournament.
Spain lead Argentina 2-0 after Nuria LLagostera Vives beat Gisela Dulko 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and Anabel Medina-Garrigues won by the same score against Maria-Emilia Salerni in a claycourt battle supreme.
In World Group Two, Czech Nicole Vaidisova celebrated her 16th birthday and Fed Cup debut on Prague’s red clay with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Aiko Nakamura of Japan. Akiko Morigami had opened the tie with a 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) victory over Iveta Benesova.
Germany swept to a 2-0 lead over a hopelessly outclassed Indonesian team whose hopes had been hit by the withdrawal of their leading player Angelique Widjaja with a knee injury.
It was left to Ayu-Fani Damayanti, ranked 610th, 422nd-ranked Wynne Prakusya and unranked Romana Tedjakusuma, who has retired from the WTA circuit, to take on a German line-up drawn from the world’s top 140.
Damayanti, another 16-year-old, lost 6-3, 6-1 to Anna-Lena Groenefeld before Julia Schruff blasted Prakusya off court 6-1 6-0.
Thailand and Croatia are level at 1-1 in a match staged in Phuket to lend support to the rehabilitation of the area after December’s tsunami.
The matches are being held on a specially prepared hardcourt beside Patong beach in an area that was swamped by the waves.
Playing in on-court temperatures of more than 50 degrees celsius, Tamarine Tanasugarn rewarded the spectators for their endurance with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Sanda Mamic who was drafted into the squad when Croatian No. 1 Karolina Sprem withdrew ill.
Jelena Kostanic defeated Suchanun Viratprasert 7-5, 4-6 6-3 in the second match that stretched to nearly three hours.
In the other Group Two match Switzerland are level with the Slovak Republic after the opening day.
