Sportmaster International

Barcelona - Rafael Nadal battled to keep his record clay- court win streak alive as he shrugged off a missed chance to post a 6-2, 7-5 quarter-final win over Potito Starace at the Barcelona Open on Friday. The world number 2 got out of jail against the Italian after failing to serve out victory up a set and 5-4. Swirling wind didn’t help Nadal’s cause as he failed to recover from 0-30 and put a backhand out to give the 72nd-ranked Starace a late chance. But home favourite Nadal quickly broke back for 5-all and overcame 18 unforced errors as

he advanced a game later. The Spaniard now owns 70 straight clay-court wins dating back more than two years. He will aim to keep his miracle alive on Saturday when he plays compatriot David Ferrer in a home semi-final. Number 5 Ferrer beat Argentine fourth seed David Nalbandian for the fourth time on clay, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Ferrer, who claimed a hard-court title last January in Auckland, won in just under 90 minutes with two breaks of serve in the second set. Nadal said that he was bothered by conditions as he held on against Starace. ‘It was very difficult and blowing a lot,’ said the man bidding to become only the second following Mats Wilander to win Barcelona three times in succession. ‘I’m not thinking about my win streak, only the next match against a tough opponent like David. I’m nervous playing in Barcelona, I really want to win this title for the third time.’ Nadal improved to 14-1 at the event, with his only defeat coming four years ago against Alex Corretja. Argentine 12th seed Guillermo Canas, riding high after returning in September from a controversial doping ban, got a free ride into the final four when second seed Nikolay Davydenko was unable to play. The Russian blamed a massage gone wrong for his painful right wrist. ‘I can’t move the fingers on my right hand very well and am unable to play. After my match last night, I had a deep massage on my wrist and elbow but it ended up blocking some nerves in my wrist.’ The day’s last quarter-final was pitting Spanish spoiler Oscar Hernandez, who has played only eight matches on surfaces other than clay over the past seven yeas, against Argentine Agustin Calleri. Ferrer, who claimed a hard-court title last January in Auckland, beat Nalbandian in just under 90 minutes with two breaks of serve in the second set. Ferrer, seeded fifth, now owns a 5-1 record over the Argentine number 4. Ferrer improved to 23-9 in 2007 and has cracked a career best after stalling at the Barcelona third round on two previous editions. Nalbandian dropped to 9-9 this season, his last title earned a year ago on the clay of Estoril, Portugal. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur