And then there were 8
The quarterfinals have arrived in Barcelona and the lines have been drawn in the clay. Does any else think of it as 7 versus 1? The one being Nadal who extended his clay win streak to 69 Thursday in a quick win over Thomas Johansson 6-1, 6-4. So the others are chasing the Master. Who are these 7 gun for hires?
First up is Potito Starace.
The 76th ranked Italian has fought his way to this match with Nadal. He climbed over first round opponent Sam Querrey 6-4 6-4, second round foe Simone Bolelli in two sets 6-4 6-3, and most recently defeated third round Juan Ignacio Chela with a thrilling second set 6-4, 7-6(12-10). Even Nadal acknowledges Potito’s rise in Barcelona.
“I’ve got a difficult match in the quarterfinals to get into the semifinals, but if I get to the semifinals, I will already feel relaxed because whatever happens I haven’t had a bad tournament,” Nadal said.
Though Potito has shone the fighting spirit in Barcelona I fear he will fall in two sets to The King.
Also vying for a chance at Nadal are 
Guillermo Canas, 
Nikolay Davydenko, 
David Nalbandian, 
David Ferrer, 
Oscar Hernandez, and 
Agustin Calleri. I’m sure they would each say they are focused on their respective quarterfinal match, but trust me they smell a shark in the waters. And that shark has won 69 straight matches and he’s hungry for number 70, 71, and 72.
No wonder he likes to bite his trophies.
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