Day 7 May 14, 2006
MATCH POINTS BE DAMNED -- KING NADAL KONGS FEDERER FOR CROWN

The monkey on Roger Federer's back - Rafael (Raffa) Nadal -- has grown to a gorilla.

You expected the playful kid, 19-year Nadal, to finish the day swinging through the trees of the Borghese Gardens.

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Day 6 May 13, 2006
IT'S THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE: FEDERER AGAINST CHAMP NADAL FOR ITALY

Roger Federer isn't playing the Colosseum this week. It wouldn't be much of a challenge anyway since the house lions of old were farmed out to retirement homes centuries ago.

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Day 5 May 12, 2006
POPE CONGRATULATES FEDERER BUT WON'T EX-COMMUNICATE NADAL

Would Nadal be fatal? And leave Federer deaderer?

As the tourney on the Tiber continues, the locals were somewhat confused about who was who.

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Day 4 May 11, 2006
THREE WINS FOR ANDY: OVER THE MOON AND GREG WITH MOONBALLS

It was time for one those unexpected third rounders to leave. Departing was Greg Rusedski, pushed out by Andy Roddick, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. Greg's volleying got him as far as the tie-breaker.

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Day 3 May 10, 2006
REVENGE IS DELICIOUS FOR RODDICK AS HE QUELLS THE "CYPRUS CYCLONE"

What's going on here? Those two lovers of fast courts, Andy Roddick and Greg Rusedski, won again in the turgid dirt, arriving on a collision course. Rusedski beat an Italian, Stefano Galvani, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, who had victimized him a year ago.

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Day 2 May 9, 2006
AS THE CHAMPION OF MALLORCA YOU HAVE A RAFFA IN A ROUGH RIDE

Was the champ going to exit upon entering? That was the question for a while on a rainy day. However, "El Nino," with his stormy topspinning shots, pulled himself together to win the sort of championship of Mallorca. That would be 19-year-old Rafael (Raffa) Nadal, up against fellow islander (and boyhood idol) Charlie Moya. Two champions in a bright struggle on a dim afternoon.

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Day 1 May 8, 2006
NOT A HAPPY RETURN TO ROME FOR BLAKE, HOWEVER RUSEDSKI STARTLES

Two years ago James Blake broke his neck here, tumbling and sliding into a net post during a practice session with Robby Ginepri. That was the start of his year of agony. It continued with a case of zoster and facial paralysis, and, worse, the death of his father, before he was able to turn himself around in 2005 and climb meteorically from No. 210 to No. 7.

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Introduction May 7, 2006
ITALIAN OPEN 2006

Ah, Rome sweet Rome.

Great to be back in the neighborhood of an original doubles team, Romulus and Remus, where Nadal can be fatal centuries later, and Roger Federer hopes that doesn't apply to himself.

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