Top-ranked Roger Federer and archrival Rafael Nadal will meet in the Madrid Masters final, the first time they’ll meet in exactly one year. Nadal ran his record against compatriot Nicolas Almagro to 6-0 with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory, while Federer won his 10th straight match against David Ferrer with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win.
In last year’s Madrid final, Federer ended Nadal’s 33-match winning streak on clay with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Nadal is 13-7 against Federer (9-2 on clay), and has won five of their last six matches. Nadal also won Masters titles at Monte Carlo and Rome earlier this spring, and is undefeated on clay this year. Regardless of the result in the Madrid final, Nadal will return to No. 2 in the ATP rankings when they are released on Monday.—M.C.