Month of May , 2010

- Rafael Nadal showed his ruthless streak to overcome an early test from Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in a 6-4 6-1 win on Friday and helped Spain to secure three of the four semi-final spots at the Rome Masters.

Fernando Verdasco beat world number two Novak Djokovic for the second time in two weeks when he clinched an enthralling tussle 7-6 3-6 6-4 to set up a semi-final against compatriot David Ferrer.

For the second straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, the Spanish trio of World No. 3 and four-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal, No. 6 seed Fernando Verdasco and No. 13 David Ferrer are in the semi-finals. They are joined by unseeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who is making his first appearance in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final.

Belgian star overcomes fourth seed in Germany

Justine Henin produced a stunning comeback against Jelena Jankovic in Stuttgart to close in on her first WTA title since making her return to tennis.

Belgian Henin, who made her comeback from retirement earlier this year, rallied from the brink of defeat to see off fourth-seeded Jankovic in a blistering 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 battle at the Porsche Grand Prix.

World No.144 Simona Halep will contest her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final of any kind on Saturday, having won her maiden Tour semi at the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem on Friday. The 18-year-old Romanian's opponent will be experienced Czech lefty Iveta Benesova, who was two points from defeat against Alizé Cornet before stealing her win, 63 46 75.

World No. 17 David Ferrer brought to an end Fernando Verdasco’s stellar clay-court run Saturday as he reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over his fellow Spaniard Saturday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

Rafael Nadal was seriously tested by Ernests Gulbis before finally wearing down his 40th-ranked opponent to pull out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win in the semifinals of the Rome Masters on Saturday.

It was the first time in nine matches on clay this year that Nadal dropped a set.

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal passed his toughest test on clay so far this year Sunday as he withstood 50 winners from the racquet of Ernests Gulbis to defeat the Latvian 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 and reach the final of Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

Iveta Benesova beat Simona Halep 6-4 6-2 in the final of WTA Fes in Morocco.

Benesova lost to Halep in a first round match at WTA Marbella three weeks ago in what had been Halep's first match on the main circuit.

But there was no repeat this time as the experienced Czech left-hander thrashed the Romanian rookie in one hour 22 minutes, breaking her opponent's serve six times as she did so.

Belgian wild card Justine Henin reached her third final in four months since her comeback when she defeated Shahar Peer 6-3 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Stuttgart indoor clay tournament.

Henin is warming up for her first appearance at Roland Garros since winning her fourth French Open title in 2007.

She has already reached the finals in Brisbane and at the Australian Open since returning to action in January after a 19-month break from the game.

Rafael Nadal said Ernests Gulbis was top-10 material after the Latvian threatened to hand him a rare defeat on clay in the Rome Masters semi-finals on Saturday.

The third seed won 6-4 3-6 6-4 but the problems he had with the 40th-ranked Gulbis's powerful game put a dent in the aura of invincibility on red dirt the Spaniard appeared to have regained this season after an injury-hit 2009.

World No. 3 and four-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal meets No. 13 seed David Ferrer in the first all-Spanish final in tournament history (since 1930).

Nadal is 10-3 lifetime against his countryman (7-1 on clay), winning the past six meetings. This will be the eighth time in the past 10 years (except 2002, ’08) a Spaniard will capture the Rome title.

Former world number one Justine Henin once again proved her clay-court credentials on Saturday as she booked her place in the final of Stuttgart's WTA tournament with victory over Shahar Peer.

Henin produced an impressive array of shots and showed her fitness to secure a 6-3, 6-2 semifinal win in just 74 minutes.

She later admitted she was suffering from a lack of sleep and a cold, but will play Australia's Samantha Stosur in Sunday's final of her first clay tournament for two years.

Rafael Nadal rediscovered his normal form after a rare wobble on clay in the semi-finals to beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in Sunday's rain-hit final and win his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal won a record-equalling 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title Sunday when he overcame fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 in a rain-hit final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has been without its empress in recent months - ever since she won the Australian Open in January, in fact - but Serena Williams makes a welcome return to the courts this week as a wildcard at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.