Halle, Germany (Sports Network) - Just four days after capturing his
seventh French Open title Rafael Nadal came up a quarterfinal loser, while
five-time Halle champion Roger Federer successfully reached the semifinals at
the $835,000 Gerry Weber Open, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.
Reigning Halle titlist Philipp Kohlschreiber, seeded eighth this week, upended
the top-seeded former world No. 1 Nadal 6-3, 6-4 at Gerry Weber Stadium.
Kohlschreiber popped eight aces and broke the two-time Wimbledon champion
Nadal's serve twice, while the Spaniard failed to break his German counterpart
on Day 5.
Nadal, who was playing his first singles tennis in Halle in seven years this
week, had been a perfect 8-0 lifetime against Kohlschreiber before Friday.
Kohlschreiber beat Philipp Petzschner in last year's all-Phillip, all-German
finale and was the 2008 Halle runner-up to Federer.
Meanwhile, a second-seeded Federer survived against big-serving fifth-seeded
Canadian Milos Raonic, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), in just under two hours.
Raonic bowed out despite firing 25 aces past the Swiss icon.
The 30-year-old six-time Wimbledon champion Federer titled here from 2003-06
and in '08 and was the runner-up in 2010.
Federer's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be gritty Russian Mikhail
Youzhny, who held off Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
One other quarterfinal resulted in an upset, as oft-injured German favorite
Tommy Haas outlasted third-seeded Czech slugger Tomas Berdych 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in
2 hours, 5 minutes. The 2009 Gerry Weber titlist Haas struck 10 aces and was
broken only once in victory.
Berdych titled here in 2007 and was the 2006 runner-up in Halle.
The wild card Haas and Kohlschreiber will lock horns in an all-German semi on
Day 6.
The 2012 Gerry Weber champ will collect $150,000.
The Sports Network