NADAL, FEDERER, JOKER INTO SEMIS

Defending champion Roger Federer cruised into the semifinals of the
Hamburg Masters by beating Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3 on Friday.

Novak Djokovic also made the last four, beating Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-3.

Rafael
Nadal needs to defeat mentor and friend Carlos Moya later Friday to
protect his No. 2 world ranking. If Nadal loses, Djokovic would leap
over him when the new rankings come out Monday. Nadal has been ranked
second for a record 147 consecutive weeks.

The top-ranked Federer, seeking his fifth title in Hamburg, broke Verdasco's serve once in the first set.

Verdasco,
who lost in the first round to Federer in Hamburg three years ago in
their only previous encounter, had his right foot taped after taking a
3-2 lead in the second set and didn't win another game.

He lost his sixth match of 2008 in the Rome Masters quarterfinals
last week, to Radek Stepanek, but has eased through his first three
matches in Hamburg without dropping a set.

The tournament is a major warmup for the French Open later this month, the only Grand Slam title that Federer has yet to win.