Spadea's work ethic pays

Vince Spadea is remembered in Britain for ending a 21-match losing streak by defeating Greg Rusedski in five sets in the first round at Wimbledon in 2000. The result hardly broke Spadea's fall that year from No 20 to No 229 in the world.

Since then, Spadea has worked hard on the court and in training to elevate his ranking, often competing on the ATP Challenger Circuit against the rising generation of fellow Americans such as Andy Roddick and James Blake. The 28-year-old Spadea's commitment has been rewarded this season by semi-final appearances in two Masters Series tournaments, in Indian Wells last month and at the Monte Carlo Open here today.

Although Juan Carlos Ferrero, of Spain, the defending champion and top seed, is likely to be too good for him on the clay, Spadea has done enough already to be guaranteed a place in the top 30 next week.

Having beaten Mikhail Youzhny, Russia's Davis Cup final hero, and the Frenchman Arnaud Clement, and saved three match points before winning a third set tie-break against Ivan Ljubicic, of Croatia, 10-8, Spadea murdered Filippo Volandri's tentative second serve yesterday in defeating the Italian qualifier, 6-1, 6-3.

Spadea, born in Chicago but a long-time resident of Boca Raton, Florida, is the first American semi-finalist at the Monte Carlo Country Club since 1992, when Aaron Krickstein went on to lose to Thomas Muster in the final. We have to go back to 1956 to find the last American winner, Hugh Stewart, although Jimmy Connors shared the trophy with Guillermo Vilas, of Argentina, in 1981, after the final was rained off with the score 5-5 in the opening set.

"It's very exciting," Spadea said, enjoying the success he has had since his work ethic changed "from the time when I was a little lacklustre and my approach was sort of careless." Asked what he done to improve himself, he said: "A lot of hard work, a lot of decision-making, building a support team of coaches – and, downright coming down to me, my adamant approach to give this game one more serious try, and knowing that my youth is going to go sour at some point."

Ferrero, who has dropped the opening set in two of his matches en route to the semi-finals, was in searing form yesterday, defeating his compatriot Alberto Martin, a qualifier, 6-0, 6-2. Ferrero's only previous match against Spadea was in a dead rubber in 2000 Davis Cup semi-finals on clay. The Spaniard won, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Carlos Moya, the second seed, who lost to Ferrero in last year's all-Spanish final, will play Guillermo Coria, of Argentina, in today's other semi-final. Moya ended the run of Julien Boutter, defeating the French wild card, 7-6, 6-2. Coria overwhelmed his compatriot, Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-1, 6-1.

Win or lose today, Coria will be a top 20 player next Monday. By beating Chela, he also ensured that Tim Henman would be ranked No 31 and not No 32, the cut-off for seedings at Grand Slam championships.