ROME, May 12 (UPI) -- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were winners Friday in the quarterfinals of the Italian Masters tennis tournament in Rome.
The Italian is the fourth of nine ATP Masters Series events this year.
The top-ranked Federer, who is No. 1 in men's tennis, outlasted qualifier Nicolas Almagro of Spain, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5.
Nadal, who is ranked second in the world, won for the 51st straight time on clay, beating 10th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, 6-4, 6-3.
One of Friday's losers was former world No. 1 Andy Roddick of the United States. The fifth-seed American was beaten by unseeded Gael Monfils of France, 6-2, 6-3.
The slumping Roddick, a former world No. 1, has reached only one semifinal this year -- when he lost to England's Andy Murray in the SAP Open at San Jose, Calif., in February.
