The Rome Masters 2008 produced an unexpected result this weekend, when Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic added the Rome Masters title to his rapidly growing collection of championship wins.

Djokovic met up with unseeded Stanislas Wawrinka in a Rome Masters 2008 final pairing that few tennis pundits would have predicted. The Serbian player’s experience paid off in the tournament decider as Wawrinka was unable to acclimatise to the heady heights of a championship final, winning the first set before losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

“I was aiming for Rome and Roland Garros as my two priorities on clay courts this season,” Djokovic said following his 10th career tournament victory. “Now I have more confidence approaching big events on clay, and other surfaces as well.”

Novak Djokovic’s win at the Rome Masters 2008 was his second Masters win in four Masters events this year, and will boost the confidence of the ATP Race leader going into the 2008 French Open.

“I was aiming for Rome and Roland Garros as my two priorities on clay courts this season,” Djokovic told the Associated Press. “Now I have more confidence approaching big events on clay, and other surfaces as well.”

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic look set to clash in the final rounds of the 2008 Rome Masters after both players overcame tough opponents to progress to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Novak Djokovic had the tougher tie of the two top seeds, drawing Russian Igor Andreev in the third round. It took Djokovic three sets to put Andreev away 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Djokvic will face Nicolas Almargo in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Rome Masters.

During the match Djokovic showed few signs of the fatigue that had forced him to withdraw from his encounter against Roger Federer at the Monte Carlo Masters.

“I didn’t know what to expect from my physical condition and I’m very happy,” Djokovic said after the match. “I’m a little bit tired but not as much in the last few weeks and recent matches.”

Federer met up with big serving Ivo Karlovic in his third round tie, and was made to fight all the way in the first set, which eventually went to a tiebreak which Federer won 7-4. The world number settled in the second set to win the match 7-6, 6-3. Federer will meet Radek Stephanek in he next round.
 

The 2008 Rome Masters produced a massive upset yesterday, when  number one seed Rafael Nadal succumbed to compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-1 in a second round fixture.

The loss was Nadal’s second in over a hundred games on the surface, and his first since losing to Roger Federer in the final of the Hamburg Open last year.

The loss was almost certainly a consequence of the fact that Nadal was not completely match fit, and was hampered by severe blistering on his right foot. Nadal had been complaining about the severity of the 2008 clay court schedule and had warned that it might lead to physical breakdown amongst the top players.

Today I didn’t play my best tennis and the truth is that I didn’t feel very good on court,” Nadal said after the match. “I couldn’t plant my legs on the floor with power and every time I was playing the ball short because I couldn’t play it long because of this pain. It was tough for me.”

Meanwhile Serb Novak Djokovic enjoyed a good day at the 2008 Rome Masters, overpowering Belgian Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-0 to cruise into the third round.

Roger Federer progressed to the 2008 Rome Masters third round yesterday as he overcame Argentinean Guillermo Canas 6-3, 6-3. Federer improved on a 3-2 record in favour of Canas to go level with one of the few players to boast a winning record against him.

“I am very happy with my performance today,” Federer told the Press Association after the game. “I had a couple of tough ones against him last year but this was our first meeting on clay and I’m very happy with the way I played.”

Another top seed progressed to the 2008 Rome Masters third round when 6th seeded Andy Roddick saw off compatriot Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-4 in the second round. Other players to progress to the 2008 Rome Masters third round included Juan Carlos Ferrero who now faces the daunting prospect of meeting up with Rafael Nadal in the next round.

The biggest upset of the day came when 10th seed Jo Tsonga was knocked out of the 2008 Rome Masters by Davis Cup team-mate Gilles Simon, losing a tight match 6-2, 4-6, 7-6. The second round also saw the departure of 11th seed Carlos Moya, who fell to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets.

The 2008 Rome Masters started with a series of upsets yesterday as two of the ATP top 10 players entered in the tournament exited in the first round.

The first to go was France’s Richard Gasquet who continued a dreadful build-up to the 2008 French Open by losing to unheralded Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna 6-4, 6-1 in the first match of the 2008 Rome Masters.

Next to go was Russian Marat Safin, who had entered the 2008 Masters on a wildcard. Safin lost 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 to home favourite Andreas Seppi, with 13 breaks of serve taking place in the match.

The 8 top seeded players at the 2008 Rome Masters have received byes to the second round of the tournament. The pick of the second round clashes is the looming confrontation between Roger Federer and Guillermo Canas.

Canas has won 3 out of his 5 encounters with Roger Federer, including two consecutive victories over the world number one in Masters Series events on clay.

While Federer will be nervously anticipating another early exit from a Masters event, Canas was more reserved about his prospects: “I have nothing to lose,” Canas told the Associated Press. “I’ll try my best and even that might not be enough.”
 

Spain’s Rafael Nadal is set to confirm his invincibility on clay this week when he takes to the court at the Rome Masters. If Nadal pulls off his third win on clay in as many weeks, he will complete an historic second successive clean sweep of pre-French Open clay court titles.

Nadal claimed his third title on clay this year at the Barcelona Open on Sunday, putting away compatriot David Ferrer 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. The score flattered Ferrer who never looked remotely capable of upsetting his opponent.

A fourth consecutive win at the 2008 Rome Masters will be a genuinely impressive feat for the young Spaniard, who spent most of his time off-court last week complaining about the packed clay court scheduled forced on players by the ATP Tour.

To claim his 4th consecutive title Nadal will have to navigate a field comprising 9 of the top 10 players in the ATP Tour rankings. Novak Djokovic is recovering from illness and may withdraw from the 2008 Rome Masters if not fit by Wednesday.

The Rome Masters will also feature the talents of the United States’ top clay players as James Blake, Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish join up with the European clay court circuit for the first time this season.