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Mark Grace on jail time for DUI: 'I deserve to be here'
MADRID, May 16 (UPI) -- Spain's Rafael Nadal earned his 33rd straight clay court victory Saturday, beating Novak Djokovic in a three-set semifinal at the Madrid Open.
The scores of the epic showdown between the tournament's first and third seeds were 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (11-9), with Nadal saving three match points in the deciding third set.
The match, which lasted just over four hours, is believed to be the longest three-set men's battle in the Open Era (since 1968).
"What I'm worried about is recovering in time and playing well (in Sunday's final)," Nadal told the BBC. "If I don't, I won't win."
He sustained a right knee injury while improving his record to 150-6 on red clay since the 2005 season.
Djokovic was playing in a semifinal for the fourth straight time, but dropped to 37-11 overall this season and 4-14 lifetime against Nadal.
In the second semifinal, No. 2 seed Roger Federer of Switzerland was a 6-3 6-4 winner over fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.
Federer, once ranked No. 1 in men's tennis, has not beaten Nadal since a semifinal round win during the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, and hasn't won a title match between the two since Wimbledon in 2007.
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| Additional Sports News Stories | |
LONDON, May 22 (UPI) --
Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia said he was not being racist when suggesting he would serve U.S. golfer Tiger Woods fried chicken if he came over for dinner.
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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 22 (UPI) --
Photo agency INF says its employees were not chasing singer Chris Brown's Porsche when it hit a wall in Beverly Hills, Calif., Tuesday afternoon.
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WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) --
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 Tuesday night to send U.S. immigration reform legislation to the Senate floor.
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ELBOW LAKE, Minn., May 22 (UPI) --
A Minnesota remodeler said the comic book -- Superman's first appearance -- he found in the walls of a home is worth 10 times what he paid for the house.
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