Events / Editor / 23 April 2007 /

The clay court season is well and truly under way now and after Monte Carlo last week everyone knows exactly where they stand - in the shadow of 20-year-old Rafael Nadal as he heads for this week's Barcelona Seat Open.

The Spanish superstar racked up a record 67th consecutive win on the surface and even Roger Federer, edging back to form after his two Masters' hiccups in the USA, couldn't get close to him as the 'King of Clay' took the Monte Carlo Masters without dropping a set.

Nadal beat the world number one in the final 6-4 6-4 in 96 minutes - repeating last year's four-set win over Federer - and has taken all five of their meetings on clay to hold a 7-3 career advantage in head-to-heads.

Sunday's victory gave Nadal his third consecutive Monte Carlo title - and only Ilie Nastase, Bjorn Borg and Thomas Muster have done that. He obviously likes Monte Carlo...he has lost just one match in 20 there.

Nadal now has not lost on clay since Igor Andreev beat him in the Valencia quarter-finals two years ago this month.

The 20-year-old now has seven Masters' titles in all and two this year, following his win over Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells last month. It certainly puts him in good heart for this week's Barcelona tournament where he is, inevitably, top seed with Federer opting to miss the event.

He has a first-round bye in the 56-strong draw before starting the defence of yet another title by taking on the winner of the clash between Italy's Davide Sanguinetti and Belgium's Kristof Vliegen.

But there are some other form players in action this week in Barcelona - and players who are well suited to clay.

Comeback ace Guillermo Canas, who missed Monte Carlo through injury, has the confidence boost of two consecutive wins over Federer at Indian Wells and Miami to spur him on. Remember, he reached the final in Miami before losing to Djokovic.

The Argentine, on offer at 12.5 to lift the title, is on course for one of the big early clashes when he is set to face seventh seed Juan Carlos Ferrero in the third round, assuming Max Mirnyi of Belarus does not upset the applecart by beating Canas in the first round.

Canas and Ferrero have met three times with the Argentine star holding the edge. Crucially, both of Canas' wins have come this year - in Miami and in their only meeting on clay in the Costa do Sauipe final in Brazil in January.

Ferrero's win was in Miami two years ago in the same round of the last 64 as this year but he does go into the clash in form after reaching the semi-finals in Monte Carlo before losing to Federer. The Spaniard is currently available at 8.4 to go all the way.

Spain will have high hopes of Valencia winner Nicolas Almagro, a 22 chance for glory in Barcelona, and the 21-year-old from Murcia is on course for an intriguing third-round clash with second seed Nikolay Davydenko.

Almagro, ranked 32 in the world, has won their only meeting when world number four Davydenko was forced to retire after the first set of their clash in the last 16 in Rome last year.

Despite the rival Casablanca tournament taking place this week, the Barcelona event has attracted a strong line-up with Sweden's Robin Soderling in the top quarter along with Russia's Marat Safin, available at 24 and 17 respectively.

The man to watch in the second quarter - and a likely semi-final rival for Nadal - is Argentina's David Nalbandian (18.5). The fourth seed and clay court specialist has a first-round bye so awaits the winner of the clash between Alberto Martin and Colombian Alejandro Falla.

Spain's fifth seed David Ferrer (24) is also in the same sector but will probably have to get past Czech star Radek Stepanek before he can have a crack at Nalbandian, while the experienced Carlos Moya may provide the Argentine ace with a tricky third-round obstacle.

But Nadal and Canas are not the only clay court winners this year who are in with a shout in Barcelona. Juan Ignacio Chela won in Acapulco and the eighth seed is Nadal's projected quarter-final opponent.

Ivo Karlovic, the winner in Houston the week before last when Almagro was winning in Valencia, could also spell danger. The 6ft 10in Croatian faces Italy's Andreas Seppi in the first round and a win would earn him a first-ever crack at sixth-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen.

But it is hard to look beyond Nadal extending his clay-court winning streak this week and this is reflected in the market as he is the 1.33 favourite to retain the crown - a title he won last year without dropping a set.

OVER in Casablanca at the Grand Prix Hassan II tournament, Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia is the top seed and is expected to meet second seeded Argentine player Jose Acasuso in the final.

But watch out for eighth seed Paul Henri Mathieu of France. He opens up against Denmark's Kristian Pless and might cause an upset or two.

France have a strong list of contenders with fourth seed Gilles Simon looking to add a 2007 outdoor title to his win indoors in Marseille in February.

As for Federer he will continue to practice on clay this week in preparation for Hamburg, Rome and ultimately his clay-court target, the French Open, with two-time winner and reigning champion Nadal standing in his way again.

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