Top four seeded men reach semis

PARIS – Hopping in place in a hallway leading to the court, Rafael Nadal was drenched with sweat before he smacked a ball in his French Open quarterfinal.

A study in perpetual motion, Nadal actually got a bit of a breather Wednesday, when Novak Djokovic of Serbia-Montenegro quit with a back injury after losing the first two sets.

That put defending champion Nadal into the semifinals at Roland Garros with what goes into the books as his 58th consecutive victory on clay, extending his record.

“The fact that today’s match was, I wouldn’t say ‘comfortable,’ but low-intensity, is going to help Rafael,” said Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni. “It’s great to compensate for the long matches he’s had.”

That’s hardly good news for Nadal’s next opponent, Ivan Ljubicic, who beat Julien Benneteau of France 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to reach his first semifinal in 27 trips to Grand Slam tournaments.

With No. 2 Nadal facing No. 4 Ljubicic, and No. 1 Roger Federer playing No. 3 David Nalbandian Friday, it’s first time since 1985 that the men seeded 1-4 at the French Open all made the semifinals.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that (Nadal) is a big favorite. Of the four of us left, he is definitely the favored one,” said Ljubicic, who hasn’t faced a seeded player in the tournament. “Just by reaching the semifinals, I did something incredible. There’s absolutely going to be zero pressure for me.”

The women’s semifinals today are 2003 and 2005 French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. reigning U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, and 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. 17-year-old Nicole Vaidisova.

The French Open is generally regarded as the most grueling tournament on tour, and this year’s edition apparently was as tough as any: Djokovic’s retirement was the eighth of 2006, the most among men at Roland Garros during the modern era.

To make a Grand Slam final for the first time, though, Ljubicic will have to do something no one has done since April 2005: wear down Nadal and beat him on clay.

“That streak has to finish one day, and I hope that’s going to be Friday,” Ljubicic said. “He cannot win forever – everybody knows that.”