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ROME (AP) -First it was Rafael Nadal. Then came Roger Federer's turn.
The two players that have dominated tennis for the last three years were both upset over the space of three days at the Rome Masters.
Federer lost his sixth match of the year Friday, falling to 27th-ranked Radek Stepanek 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) in the quarterfinals.
The top-ranked Federer lost only nine matches in all of 2007. He piled up a string of defeats at the beginning of this year when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis.
Nadal, the three-time defending champion in Rome, was beat in the second round by Juan Carlos Ferrero.
"It shows how the (other) players are getting better. Everybody is hungry," Stepanek said. "Two players can't win all the tournaments."
In the semifinals, Stepanek will face the winner of the night match between Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and Spanish clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro.
In the other half of the draw, sixth-seeded Andy Roddick eliminated No. 14 Tommy Robredo 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) to match his best performance in Rome.
Roddick also reached the semifinals in his debut at the Foro Italico in 2002, losing to Tommy Haas. His semifinal opponent this time will be Stanislas Wawrinka, who rallied past eighth-seeded James Blake 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-1.
The last American to win in Rome was Andre Agassi in 2002.
Roddick improved to 8-0 in his career against Robredo, rushing the net on both his first and second serves against the Spaniard.
In the third-set tiebreaker, Roddick overwhelmed Robredo with two aces and converted his first match point after following his second serve to net.
Federer surrendered a 5-2 lead in the second-set tiebreaker, and wasted a set point at 6-5 on Stepanek's serve by hitting into the net.
