BBC Sporttennis

French Open

Quarter-final result:

R NADAL (Spa) bt N ALMAGRO (Spa)

6-1 6-1 6-1

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the action

By Piers Newbery

THIRD SET:

1640: "Why is the recruitment policy limited to monkeys? My brother would be perfect."
From Geoff the baboon via text on 81111

1636: Great stuff from Nadal and equally impressive from all of you, thanks for the texts. I will be enjoying a well-earned break before returning for the glory shifts at the weekend (monkey not withstanding).

Nadal 6-1 Almagro
There's still time for Nadal to come up with a stunning backhand winner as he races to 15-40 and two match points. He goes wide with a backhand on the first but seals the match in typical style - lunging out wide to scramble back a towering lob that Almagro smashes into the net. "An extraordinary performance," says Jonathan Overend on 5 Live Sports Extra.

Nadal 5-1 Almagro
Almagro sticks a backhand into the net, handing Nadal game number 17 of the afternoon. The champion celebrates with one of his traditional underwear rearrangements.

1632:"Reply to 1617 pat i think fed is the best player ever even if the french eludes him so nadal shudn't be judged on not winning sw19."
From Mike in newcastle via text on 81111

1626: "TC, I asked first (see 1613 entry) re the monkey job! Piers sort it out!"
From Heidi via text on 81111

Nadal 4-1 Almagro
Almagro battles back from 0-40 to deuce, which probably makes the fact that he's broken again even more depressing. Nadal seals it with a fizzing forehand down the line.

1623: "Hi piers, just wondered whether you think djokovich will trouble nadal in the semi?"
From Jose, brighton, via text on 81111 (Been having this discussion in the office - my money is on Rafa in straight sets after a tricky opener, just like last year. Too powerful)

1623: "I really hope djokovic finds his form again. At his best he will push nadal very close. I think we could enjoy an epic semi final and final."
From Greg, london, via text on 81111

Nadal 3-1 Almagro
Almagro screams in anguish as a shot is incorrectly called out. Nadal sportingly confirms the error and the point is replayed. Nadal wins it anyway, obviously. And Djokovic breaks Gulbis again and manages to serve out the match at the second time of asking.

1617: "Nadal may win more than 6 French titles (see 1556 entry) but he wont go to London and win a few weeks later like Borg did."
Reply to Mike in Newcastle. Pat via text on 81111

1613: "Piers, any chance of having the monkey's job (see 1605 entry) when Wimbledon starts? I'll take the US Open."
From TC via text (Get to the back of the queue, friend)

Nadal 2-1 Almagro
Almagro is now almost permanently deep in conversation with himself, and it appears to be an argument. Two wild errors see him drop serve for the 74th time this afternoon. Excitement over on Lenglen though, as Gulbis breaks Djokovic when the Serb is serving for the match.

Nadal 1-1 Almagro
The Almagro racquet gets some mild treatment when his frustration boils over. Nadal steams through another love game. Meanwhile, Djokovic is serving for the match against Gulbis over on Lenglen.

1605: "Piers, I said this all through wimbledon last year but I want your job. You got anything going for a cheeky assistant?"
From Heidi via text on 81111 (They're currently training a monkey down in the basement to replace me in time for Wimbledon I'm afraid)

Nadal 0-1 Almagro
Almagro moves into a shock lead! The man from Murcia manages to hold serve, much to the delight of the shivering locals.

SECOND SET:

Nadal 6-1 Almagro
Nadal holds to love and the crowd are very much talking amongst themselves now. Looks a bit dark overhead though.

1556: "Piers its mike again. Whats your opinion on this. Is nadal better than borg?"
From mike in newcastle via text on 81111 (Well Mike, it's a bit hard to concentrate as two colleagues have just returned from the gym and are discussing how much their trainers "honk". However, I'm not quite old enough to have seen Borg in Paris but..... different time, different racquets, different physical specimens etc. I think Nadal will win more than six French Opens though)

Nadal 5-1 Almagro
Almagro is chuntering away to himself about something as the wind gets up even more, and he sticks a second serve into the net to hand Nadal a break he really didn't need.

Nadal 4-1 Almagro
Almagro leans back and creams a forehand down the line that shows the Spaniard can, as Mark Petchey on BBCi says, " really generate". It only helps him to 15-15 all though, and Nadal takes the game easily enough.

Nadal 3-1 Almagro
Almagro screams "uno, uno!" after finally making a winner and with some better serving he holds to love, and looks a whole lot more cheerful.

1543: "That (see below) was from Sarah from Cambridge.... "
From, er, Sarah from Cambridge

1542: "Almagro needs a rain delay as do I, so I can see my Rafa play."
From anon via text on 81111

1541: "I thought almagro would provide a stern test for nadal today. He was certainly impressive against murray. Looks like nadal is just unbeatable!"
From anon via text on 81111

1533: "Piers earlier this week i asked you if you thought anyone would take a set off nadal. You said yes. Do you want to revise that?"
From mike in newcastle via text on 81111 (I deny everything. And yes.)

Nadal 3-0 Almagro
Golly. We finally get a really competitive game but Almagro cannot convert any of the five breaks points that come his way. At 15-40, Nadal thumps down a big serve and a forehand winner. Almagro battles on gamely and sees another three chances slip by. Nadal has made six unforced errors in 10 games.

Nadal 2-0 Almagro
At 0-30, Almagro gets some hearty support from the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier and it appears to work as he battles to 30-30. But as Nadal said after thrashing Fernando Verdasco the other day, "here is no place for mercy", and he takes the break anyway.

1524: "Go Rafa go. All the way to the 4th French Open and 1st Wimbledon."
From Susan, Edinburgh, via text on 81111

1522: The heavens appear to have opened as everyone has umbrellas up and is scrambling for waterproof clothing. Almagro looks pleadingly in the umpire's direction but.... we play on.

Nadal 1-0 Almagro
A wonderfully whipped Nadal forehand is at such an angle that Almagro doesn't even bother to chase it. Nadal then hits an ace, just to show he can do that too.

FIRST SET:

1518: "Almagro is at a loss as to what to do. Only if he can get his serve to 80% and hit winners off the forehand and backhand could he be competitive - and only competitive."
Mark Petchey on BBCi

Nadal 6-1 Almagro
A beautiful forehand down the line takes Nadal to set point and his fearsome defence ensures it is converted. Several heavy shots from Almagro that would normally be winners are returned and he eventually sticks one wide.

Nadal 5-1 Almagro
A love game for Nadal and, as Barry Davies on BBCi says, "At the moment this is no contest."

1511: "Is a tank wider than a tennis court? (see 3-1 entry) just curious - especially since almagro would have reduced movement in one."
From roger, oxford, via text on 81111 (I'm confident that any half-decent tank would be wider than the singles court, not sure about the tram lines though)

1509: "Hoping to knock off work early and catch a glimpse of the majorcan adonis at his best!"
From Victoria via text on 81111 (I'd get a shift on if I were you, he's not hanging about)

Nadal 4-1 Almagro
Such is his confidence that Nadal is already coming into the net, and Almagro is unlucky with a backhand pass that just misses the line. Close won't do it today though, and at 15-40 he sprays a forehand into the tram lines after a brilliant backhand recovery from Nadal.

Nadal 3-1 Almagro
Nadal does not appear concerned by the wind. You get the feeling Almagro could be parked in a tank behind the baseline and Nadal would still hit through him. The champion takes the game with a huge forehand winner.

Nadal 2-1 Almagro
Oh dear. Almagro appears to be a bit disturbed by the swirling wind. That's probably his excuse anyway, as he hangs his head after thumping a forehand into the middle of the net having dropped serve to love.

Nadal 1-1 Almagro
A huge forehand winner on the first point sets out a marker for Almagro but Nadal recovers to win the game to 30. Both men in bright green, Spanish, with big forehands.

1455: "A tough first set, maybe the one that Almagro can take. But after that Nadal will be all over him."
From Guiro on 606

Nadal 0-1 Almagro
At 30-30, Almagro wallops down what may be the first of many aces today and he closes out the game.

1450: "Lets's see if Almagro really steps up here - he said he's going to take the initiative and make Nadal defend. Let's see if he gets the chance."
Roger Rasheed, ex-coach of Lleyton Hewitt, on 5Live Sports Extra

1447: Umbrellas go up all around Court Philippe Chatrier - I hope everyone remembers this when Wimbledon gets the annual slating for bad weather next month. The players continue knocking up - I don't think anyone dare tell Nadal to stop. He looks 'focused'.

1445: "Did the safin arm-wrestling go so well that you're making more bold predictions?"
From anon via text on 81111 (This would refer to my colleague Tom Fordyce's rash prediction yesterday that he would arm-wrestle Marat Safin if his little sister beat Sharapova. Tom has sloped off "to the gym", presumably to beef up)

1439: Almost forgot, it's Rafa's birthday - he's 22 today. Asked by the courtside interviewer what he's been doing, he says: "nothing special but I expect a hard match". Almagro says it's a "muy bonito" match against the best in the world on this surface. So there you go.

1435: The winner of this one will play Novak Djokovic or Ernests Gulbis in the last four. Not many people would have backed Gulbis but after losing the first set he's a break up in the second on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Djokovic missed his first 11 break points in the first set, which almost wiped the smile off his face. Almost.

1430: Well, despite the rain beginning to fall at the end of the Ivanovic-Schnyder encounter, it seems we're pressing on withNadal and Almagro. Defending champion and captain invincible against conqueror of Murray and one of the year's in-form men on clay.