Summary Tomas Berdych defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in Italian Open quarterfinals.
ROME (AP) - Novak Djokovic can t seem to find any consistency on clay courts. And with the French Open less than 10 days away, he will enter Roland Garros on the back of two early defeats.
The top-ranked Serb wasted a chance to serve out the match and was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 by sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych in the Italian Open quarterfinals Friday.
In the semifinals, Berdych will face six-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal, who defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. While he struggled at times, Nadal appeared sharper than in his three-set win over Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis a day earlier.
It s the second consecutive week that Djokovic has struggled, having also lost to Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Madrid Open after being bothered by a right ankle injury.
Djokovic said he had been playing pain free this week.
Still, he will need to get his game in shape in a hurry with the French Open, the year s second Grand Slam, starting May 26.
"I know I can play well on clay and so I shouldn t allow myself to have these drops, and let s hope it won t happen for Roland Garros," Djokovic said of the only major he hasn t won. "I m fine. I just lost my rhythm."
Djokovic served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but Berdych ripped a backhand winner that landed on the line on his first break point and won the final four games of the set.
"It s a very strange situation," Djokovic said. "I played very well and was two points from winning. Then the entire match changed and I was a different player."
Also, 36th-ranked Benoit Paire of France routed Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-1, 6-0 to reach his first Masters series semifinal. He ll next face either 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer or rising Polish player Jerzy Janowicz, who were playing a night match.
In the women s tournament, top-ranked Serena Williams rolled past Spanish opponent Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-0 to extend her winning run to a career-best 22 matches.
Williams had twice won 21 in a row before, although both of those runs came a decade ago, in 2002 and 2003.
"I ve been pretty consistent, and pretty healthy knock on wood," Williams said. "I feel great never felt better."
Martina Navratilova established the longest women s win run in the Open Era at 74 matches in 1984.
In the other half of the draw, two-time defending champion Maria Sharapova withdrew before her quarterfinal against seventh-seeded Sara Errani due to illness.
Williams will next face either two-time Rome winner Jelena Jankovic or Romanian qualifier Simona Halep.
Williams only title here came in 2002, when she beat Justine Henin in the final. That was also the year she won her only French Open title. Last year in Paris, Williams lost in the opening round of a major for the first time, falling to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano of France.
Sharapova said he was struggling with an illness she first contracted last week, when she was runner-up to Williams in Madrid, although she showed no problems Thursday as she beat 16th-seeded Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1.
"I was already a bit off in Madrid and played though it and it came back last night and I got sick again and it s not smart to compete again," said Sharapova, adding that she had a fever after beating Stephens. "Obviously with the French Open coming up it is important to make smart decisions."
The withdrawal meant that Errani advanced to the semifinals. The Italian s opponent will be either third-seeded Victoria Azarenka or ninth-seeded Sam Stosur.
World number three Roger Federer overcame big-hitting Pole Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) on Friday to set up a Rome Masters semi-final with French upstart Benoit Paire.
Federer wrapped up the first set comfortably but in a tighter second set the Swiss was forced into a series of unforced errors by the service game of the giant 23-year-old from Lodz.
Janowicz built a 5-4 lead in the second set after hitting two aces.
But the Pole, standing at 2.03 metres tall, squandered a chance to level the match when he made two double faults in the 10th game.
Federer fought back to level at 6-6 and dominated Janowicz in the tie-break.
