Big guns to clash in Monte Carlo finale

General / Editor / 22 April 2007 / Leave a Comment

World number one Roger Federer will face defending champion Rafael Nadal in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday.

Swiss ace Federer secured his place in the final with a hard-fought 6-3 6-4 win against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, while the Czech Republic's 10th seed Tomas Berdych was no match for Nadal in Monaco as the Spaniard won through their semi-final clash 6-0 7-5.

Federer had to come back from 3-1 down in the first set against 16th seed Ferrero to go through, while Nadal, who had lost his previous three meetings against Berdych, eased through to record a 66th consecutive win on clay.

Sunday's final could go either way as, despite winning in their last two meetings, Federer has lost all four matches he has played against Nadal on a clay surface. However, he is looking forward to the tussle.

Federer said: "It's always fun to see the top two players up against each other. I hope we can live up to the expectations and play a good match.

"We had some great matches last year including three phenomenal finals on clay."

With his form in the tournament so far and his recent success in Monte Carlo, Nadal is the 1.57 favourite to win the title while Federer is 2.72 to claim his third ATP Tour of the year.