Nadal Beat Murray; Faces Ferrer In Monte Carlo Final

Rafael Nadal outlasted Andy Murray 6-4 2-6 6-1 to reach his seventh consecutive Monte Carlo final, while David Ferrer demolished Jurgen Melzer 6-3 6-2 to set up an all-Spanish final. The Nadal-Murray clash lasted nearly 3 hours and featured the first set Nadal had lost in Monte Carlo since 2009. He has now won 36th consecutive matches there dating back to 2004. Last year, Nadal embarrassed fellow Spaniard Fernando Verasco 6-0 6-1 to win the tournament for the 6th consecutive time.

Federer Loses To Melzer; Nadal v Murray Semifinal Set

Roger Federer had a rare loss at the quarterfinal stage of a tournament today against left-handed Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-4 6-4 on a windy day at the Monaco Masters. Melzer has now defeated Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in his career. This was the first time the World #9 had beaten the current World #3 and the first time Federer had lost to someone other than Nadal or Djokovic since his November nailbiter loss to Gael Monfils after holding 5 match points. Melzer will face Spaniard David Ferrer in the semifinal.

In the other half of the draw, Nadal will face Andy Murray in the semifinal in his quest to win his 7th(!) consecutive Monaco title.