MMMM 2006 : 2006


Federer, Nalbandian to re-play Shanghai final in Madrid

Roger Federer and David Nalbandian set up a rerun of last year's season title match as both reached the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters Friday.


(DPA) World number 1 Federer improved to 80-5 on the season as he put out American Robby Ginepri 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Nalbandian, seeded fourth, edged closer to a possible return to the Masters Cup in Shanghai in three weeks as he won only his second match against Marat Safin, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-2).

The Argentine came into the match with a 1-6 record against the Russian, a clear crowd favourite.

Nalbandian also failed to put to rest a controversy bubbling over from his ill-tempered win against Tim Henman in the previous round, where he called the Briton's reputation for fair play "the biggest rubbish ever."

The spat blew up late in the match, when Henman refused to give his opponent another first serve on a disputed point. "He questioned my sportsmanship, but if we go down that road there is only going to be one winner," said the man known as "Gentleman Tim."

Nalbandian didn't back down Friday: "So he's not the sportsman that he looks like or he wants to sell that image. I don't know."

Federer lost to Nalbandian's fifth-set fightback in the final in Shanghai in November, but twice beat the South American on clay last spring.

"It will be a very tough match," said Nalbandian. "Every time we play each other, it's very close."

Nalbandian's win over Safin in nearly three hours nudged the Argentine up two places to sixth in the chase for one of the place in the eight-man season final

Nalbandian is desperate again to reach Shanghai after passing fallen fellow contenders Tommy Robredo and James Blake onto sixth in the provisional standings. "I passed two players, I'm in very good shape for Shanghai."

Federer and Nadal, the top two in the world, are the only men to have so far qualified with this weekend and two more weeks left in the ATP season.

Safin nearly overcame a performance which was riddled with 74 unforced errors, but helped by 21 aces.

"I'm actually more happy than frustrated because it's already my fifth week," Safin said after a possible preview of December's Russia-Argentina Davis Cup final in Moscow.

"I've been playing some great matches, a lot of three-set matches. I'm pretty happy. My situation was much worse months ago. I was 104, now I am fighting into the Top 30."

As the contest went into a third set, the intensity increased.

Safin was unpopularly denied what looked both be a match point of his own in the 12th game as the Hawk-eye line-calling system saw his return just out on a challenge from Nalbandian.

That decision forced another tiebreaker, with the Argentine claiming the win on the first of four additional match points.

"I came out completely flat," said Safin."In order to defeat players like Nalbandian, you have to be 100 percent fit and strong.

"Even though I had my chances, it didn't work my way."

Safin was looking for his first Masters Series final four since winning Madrid and Paris back-to-back two years ago. A knee injury which kept him out for more than six months prevented him from playing 12 months ago.



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