ATP MASTERS ROME: NADAL ON THE VERGE OF SEMIS

Rafael Nadal is on the verge of a fourth consecutive Masters Series semi-final this week, with only Stanislas Wawrinka standing in his way. A win over Wawrinka would be a step towards the final and potentially, a chance to win a second consecutive and fifth overall Rome Masters title.
Should Nadal defend his Rome title successfully this week, he will equal Andre Agassi for 17 career Masters titles.
Nadal goes into this match as the massive favourite at William Hill, listed at a price of 1/33 to win outright. Recommending Nadal’s odds, apart from being the King of Clay, is a 4-0 lifetime edge over Wawrinka.
Nadal is so dialled into Wawrinka that he hasn’t even dropped a set to the No.2 Swiss player in four meetings.
Naturally, Nadal is favoured across the board. He is a hot 1/9 favourite to win in straight sets and a firm 5/1 fave to win in three sets.
Wawrinka fans have very little room for optimism as almost every market on this match has Wawrinka the significant underdog.
Wawrinka is the 10/1 puppy to win outright, the 25/1 puppy to win in straight sets, 16/1 to win in three sets...you get the drift.
Going against Wawrinka and the idea he could mastermind the upset is Nadal himself. The idea is almost unthinkable to both Nadal fans and neutrals alike. Nadal is a stud on clay, in a league of his own. Wawrinka has nothing on him. Simple as that.
Should Wawrinka do the unthinkable, it would be almost as big an upset as Soderling beating Nadal at the French Open last year.
Two weeks ago, Nadal won the Monte Carlo title for a sixth year in a row and while it was an Open Era record (the sextuplet) the manner in which he did it has everyone from top-to-bottom in the game talking. And very afraid to cross his path, I might add.
The match ending in two sets is the favoured outcome, listed at 1/12. A three-set affair if the market is to be believed is not expected with a price tag of 6/1.
Nadal can be backed at 1/16 to take the first and second sets. Meanwhile, Wawrinka can be backed at 7/1 to take the first and second sets.
Correct set scorecasts favours a convincing performance by Nadal. A 6-1 and 6-3 score in the first set to Nadal is trading at 5/1 and 3/1, respectively. Wawrinka’s best price is 18/1 for a 6-4 score in the first set.