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Rafael Nadal still standing at French Open
Even as three top men's players tumbled Monday at the French Open, teen phenom Rafael Nadal kept cruising. Australian Open champion Marat Safin, defending French Open champ Gaston Gaudio and last year's runner-up, Guillermo Coria, all lost in the fourth round. Nadal moved on to the quarterfinals, one step from a possible clash with top-seeded Roger Federer. Safin, who also owns a U.S. Open title, was eliminated by Spain's Tommy Robredo 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, 4-6, 8-6 in 3 hours, 50 minutes.
Gaudio, who saved two match points in a five-set final against Coria last year, showed less spirit this time around, losing 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-4 to David Ferrer after holding a 4-0 lead in the deciding set. "I got too nervous, I guess," Gaudio said.
"He took risks on set points in my favor and won," Coria said. "There's nothing to be angry about." Safin threw a brief tantrum in the third set of his marathon, leaving a hole in the base of his wooden changeover chair when he smashed it with a racket. "I destroyed the chair. I destroyed the racket because I can't take it any more," Safin said. "I had to relieve everything I had inside just to continue fighting." He eventually regained his composure, but committed 73 unforced errors and lost in 3 hours, 50 minutes. "Not one thing went the way I wanted it to go," Safin said. "I had to struggle with everything. I'm not taking away any credit from him. He played really well. But I was missing a little something." If Nadal and Federer win their quarterfinal matches, they will clash in the semifinals Friday — Nadal's 19th birthday. Nadal plays Ferrer next, and Federer meets unseeded Victor Hanescu of Romania on Tuesday. No. 4 Nadal turned a small advantage into a convincing win, overcoming No. 23 Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. The match stretched over two days because of Sunday's rain delay. Play resumed with Nadal leading 3-0 in the third set. On Friday, Nadal beat fellow 18-year-old Richard Gasquet, a Frenchman and the latest crowd favorite at Roland Garros. Gasquet said he felt like a junior afterward — a suggestion that the muscular Nadal won the match on two fronts, physically and psychologically. "I know who I am, whatever people say," Nadal said. "Your inspiration comes from within. It doesn't come from anywhere else." In Ferrer, Nadal next faces a Spanish compatriot with similar intensity. Ferrer reached the semifinals this year in Rome and Key Biscayne, losing both times to Nadal. Federer has lost twice all year, to Safin in the Australian semifinals and to Gasquet in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals. He has expended little energy at Roland Garros, reaching the final eight without dropping a set, while Nadal has lost only one.
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