Nadal in semis

PARIS, June 3 (Agencies): Rafael Nadal is so good on clay he has reached this week’s semifinals at the French Open, and not many top players can say that.

Eager to reassert himself as the king of clay, Nadal has been immune to the recent wave of upsets at Roland Garros. The four-time champion advanced on Wednesday to the final four by beating fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-4.

“When I am in semifinals, it’s very good news for me,” Nadal said.

His opponent on Friday will be journeyman Jurgen Melzer, who joined the upset trend by rallying past No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Melzer never advanced beyond the third round in his previous 31 Grand Slam tournaments.

There was also a shocker on the women’s side – top-ranked Serena Williams lost to Australian spoiler Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-7 (2), 8-6. The surprises began Monday, when Stosur ended four-time champion Justine Henin’s Roland Garros winning streak at 24 matches. On Tuesday, top-ranked Roger Federer lost to Robin Soderling.