ROME, May 10 (UPI) -- Roger Federer won the battle of the favorites at the Italian Open Saturday and Felix Mantilla triumphed in the clash of elder statesmen.
The fourth-seeded Federer advanced to the final of the claycourt event. He owned a 6-2, 4-2 lead when No. 2 Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain retired with inflammation in his right arm.
Mantilla overcame Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, to advance to his first final of the year.
Federer jumped a spot to third place in the ATP Champions Race -- just behind Federer. Both were coming off wins last week, but only Federer was able to extend his winning streak to 11 matches. He also increased his ATP-leading match victory total to 36.
The 21-year-old Swiss star arrived in Rome fresh off his third title of the year in Munich and is one win away from the ninth tournament victory of his career. He is looking for his second career Tennis Masters Series crown after winning last year at Hamburg.
Ferrero had been just as hot, winning 21 of his previous 22 matches on the clay, but lost to Federer for the second straight meeting after claiming their first two. The 23-year-old Spaniard, the winner here two years ago, fell to 13-3 at Foro Italico.
Mantilla raised his match record this season to 20-10. Playing in his third semifinal of the year, he advanced to his first title match since August 2002.
All nine of his career titles have come on clay, but the 28-year-old Barcelona native has had most of his recent success on hard courts. His last two finals came at hardcourt tournaments in Doha and Indianapolis. Mantilla's best career TMS result was a runner-up finish at Hamburg in 1997.
Although he rallied from at least one break in each set, Kafelnikov was denied a chance to capture his first TMS crown. He has won the most TMS matches (115) without claiming a title.
Still, the 29-year-old from Sochi has to be happy with his form on clay after struggling on the surface since his 1996 Roland Garros triumph. Kafelnikov, who underwent surgery last December after a circulation problem hampered his play last year, lost in the semifinals for the second straight week.
