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By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
NADAL WINS 70TH STRAIGHT MATCH ON CLAY: And with his victory, comes headlines like "Rafa is pushed …". Instead of meaning that he went to the wall to win long three-setters, a headline like that means that Nadal beat the likes of Potito Starace 6-2, 7-5 and keeps winning in doubles. That's called Federer status: winning a match routinely but having analysts look for any minor hiccup. Lock Rafa in for another Barcelona title. FERRER HOPES TO GO ANDREEV ON NADAL: Russian Igor Andreev was the last man to best Nadal on clay. Now David Ferrer, one of Spain's toughest dirtballers, will get a shot at his countryman in the Barcelona semis. Ferrer bested David Nalbandian 7-6(5), 6-2 and is in good form, but doesn't have enough pop to stay with Nadal on a good day from the Mallorcan. DAVYDENKO INJURED: Just when you might have been thinking that Nikolay Davydenko might be a solid dark horse pick to reach the final four at Roland Garros, he withdraws from his Barcelona match with Guillermo Cañas because of a right wrist injury. Scratch that thought. Cañas will face fellow Argentine Agustin Calleri in the other semi, who blew out Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-0, 6-3. Can Cañas stop Federer twice and then put an end to Nadal's streak in the Barce final? Stay tuned. JANKOVIC FINALIZES HYUNDAI DEAL: You know a player has reached celebrity status in their home country when they sign a major auto deal. Jelena Jankovic got the best of Ana Ivanovic in Serbia this week, signing a deal with Hyundai. Just wait until you see the promotional pictures. Last week's Fed Cup quarters did little to strain any of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's stars. This week all the major players are off as the tour is only stopping in Tier III Budapest, where Argentine Gisela Dulko looks like a good bet to win the title. Next week will be a good indication of the health of some of the more notable players as Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva (who hasn't played since February) are scheduled to play Warsaw. Here's a safe bet that at least two seeds withdraw. © TennisReporters.net 2007
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