David Ferrer was able to do something no one else has done in the 2014 French Open, take a set from Rafael Nadal. Unfortunately for Ferrer, his first-set victory was the only set he took and Nadal rebounded to win the final three sets and advance to the semifinals.
French Open results 2014: Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray advance to semifinals
Rafael Nadal proved he wasn’t perfect, dropping a set for the first time in the 2014 French Open, but the No. 1 seed rebounded strong to move on.
Matthias Hangst
Ferrer, the No. 5 seed, was able to break Nadal's serve twice during the first set, leading to a 6-4 victory. He went on to break Nadal's serve just once more. The No. 1 seed and eight-time French Open champion responded with 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 victories. He's now two matches away from a fifth straight French Open victory. Nadal will face No. 7 Andy Murray in the semifinals after Murray dispatched Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-0. Murray looked strong early, taking the first two sets before Monfils rallied to win two sets of his own. Murray stopped the slide in the fifth set and in dominating fashion. Nadal and Murray have played 19 times, according to ATPWorldTour.com, with Nadal holding a 14-5 advantage. That includes a straight-set Nadal victory at the 2011 French Open.
On the women’s side of the draw No. 4 Simona Halep, the top remaining seed, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win against No. 27 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Halep has cruised into the semifinals and is yet to drop a set in five matches. She’s lost two games or more in just four of 10 sets thus far. No. 10 Sara Errani’s bid for a third straight appearance in the French Open semifinals came up short as she lost to No. 28 Andrea Petkovic in straight sets. Petkovic dominated the match on her way to a 6-2, 6-2 victory. She landed 40 of 45 first serves, needing just 63 minutes to advance to the semifinals.
Halep and Petkovic will now head to the semifinals for a head-to-head matchup. The winner will advance to the final and face either No. 7 Maria Sharapova or No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard.
Men’s results:
No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 5 David Ferrer
No. 7 Andy Murray def. No. 23 Gael Monfils
Women’s results:
No. 4 Simona Halep def. No. 27 Svetlana Kuznetsova
No. 10 Sara Errani def. No. 28 Andrea Petkovic
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