Rafael Nadal lost on clay for only the second time in 105 matches, falling to Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-1 Wednesday in the second round of the Rome Masters. Nadal was bothered by a blister on his right foot, calling for the trainer late in the second set. The blister started bothering the second-ranked Spaniard after he won the Barcelona Open on Sunday. “Sunday night when I woke up at 6 in the morning to come here and put my foot down on the floor, I couldn't put it on the floor,” Nadal said. “Today when I woke up, I said it was impossible to play. I spoke to the doctor today and yesterday and they put special protection on it and cream, but it was still tough.” Ferrero said he too was not fully fit. “I pulled out of Barcelona last week with a groin problem and I felt it again yesterday against Nicolas Kiefer,” Ferrero said. “Today they put a bandage and I could move well.” Nadal, the three-time defending champion in Rome, had never lost at the Foro Italico. The 23rd-ranked Ferrero won the Rome tournament in 2001. “Juan Carlos is a very tough opponent, but certainly if you're not 100 percent at a Masters Series event it is very tough,” Nadal said. “I congratulate Juan Carlos, but today for sure was not my best tennis.” Four other seeded players were also upset in the second round. Coming off a loss to Nadal in the Barcelona Open final, fifth-seeded David Ferrer fell to Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; Spanish clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro beat seventh-seeded David Nalbandian 6-4, 7-5; Igor Andreev defeated No. 13 Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; and Stanislas Wawrinka upset No. 14 Andy Murray 6-2, 7-6 (5). Third-ranked Novak Djokovic showed no signs of illness when he cruised past Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-0 in his opening match. In the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic pulled out of his semifinal match against Federer after falling behind 6-3, 3-2. Tests afterward revealed he had strep throat. Also Wednesday, fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Croatian wild card Mario Ancic 6-2, 6-2; No. 8 James Blake held off Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1; and No. Fernando Gonzalez - last year's finalist - defeated Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 6-2. Ivanovic, Henin win Defending champion Ana Ivanovic overcame a slow start Wednesday to beat Uzbek qualifier Akgul Amanmuradova 7-6 (0), 6-2 and reach the round of 16 at the German Open. Top-ranked Justine Henin also advanced, beating Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan 6-0, 6-2. The Belgian returned from a break looking to regain confidence after a 6-2, 6-0 pounding by Serena Williams in her last match - the most one-sided loss for a No. 1 player in nine years. Fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat Peng Shuai of China 7-5, 6-0, and Victoria Azarenka rallied to upset sixth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze 1-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4. Last year's defeated finalist, and this year's third seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova sealed a 6-3, 6-2 win over Colombia's Catalina Castano and plays 15th seed Alona Bondarenko in the third round.
