Federer, Nadal to meet in Rome Masters final

ROME - Top-ranked Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal will meet for the third time this year in the Rome Masters final on Sunday. Federer advanced to his 13th straight final with Saturday's error-filled 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win over No. 3 David Nalbandian. Nadal defeated 19-year-old Gael Monfils of France 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Nadal registered his 52nd straight win on clay and can match Guillermo Vilas' Open-era record of 53 wins on the surface if he successfully defends his title. "Playing the final in Rome is more important than the record," Nadal said. "Winning the tournament is the goal. If I get the record, fine." Nadal is the only player to beat Federer this year, in finals at Dubai in March and the Monte Carlo Masters last month. He holds a 4-1 edge in his career meetings with Federer, including a semifinal win at last year's French Open. Federer finished with 50 unforced errors to Nalbandian's 53 in the clay-court tuneup to the French Open, which begins May 28. The Swiss star said he is looking forward to the matchup with Nadal. "I'm ready," he said. "I think it's always special to have No. 1 versus No. 2. It's good for the game and I think both of us look forward to it. Especially on clay, it's a good challenge for me." Federer's win over Nalbandian tied him with Vilas for the second-most consecutive finals in the Open era. Ivan Lendl holds the record at 18 straight finals, set in 1981-82. Nadal's clay-court streak started at Monte Carlo in April 2005. During the run, he's defeated 38 different opponents from 15 countries. He beat Argentines Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio three times and eight players twice, including Federer. Vilas, in a recent conference call from Thailand, expects Nadal to break his streak. "I will be very surprised if he doesn't," Vilas said. "He's a very strong player, he has a strong will. He has a strong gift of hands and he's a fighter. He seems to lift his level in the crucial moments." Vilas set the record in 1977, beginning the streak in May at the French Open and ending with a loss to Ilie Nastase in October in Aix en Provence, France. Against Nalbandian, Federer struggled with his accuracy for long periods, but regained form midway through the third set. After trading breaks twice in the decisive set, Federer took control of the tiebreaker with a backhand service return winner to go up 6-4. The match ended when Nalbandian's forehand sailed long on Federer's second match point. "He was just better," Nalbandian said. "He did it at the right time." In their last meeting, Nalbandian beat Federer in a fifth-set tiebreaker at the Masters Cup final in November in Shanghai. In a nervous opening set, neither player held serve in the first four games. The key break came when Federer stretched to return a serve and came up with a forehand winner down the line to take a 5-3 lead. Nalbandian jumped out to a 40-0 lead in the next game, but wasted each of his break points on errors. Two points later, Federer closed out the set when Nalbandian hit a backhand into the net, prompting the Argentine to slam his racket to the ground. "I had a lot of chances to break that I didn't take advantage of," Nalbandian said of converting 5-of-16 break points. In the second set, Nalbandian converted the only break of serve to take a 3-1 lead. Both players continued to hit more unforced errors than winners. Nalbandian said the fast and slippery conditions contributed to the erratic play. "It was difficult to stop your feet," he said. In the opening game of the third set, Federer slammed his racket when he hit a forehand way wide to lose a service game. "He's human," Nalbandian said. Federer also reached the Rome final in 2003, losing to Felix Mantilla. -AP