After watching both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer pushed to the distance during the first day of quarterfinal action at the 2012 French Open, the road wasn't nearly as difficult for defending champion Rafa Nadal or sixth seed David Ferrer. The two Spaniard's will now meet on semi-final Friday, as will the aforementioned duo of Djokovic and Federer.

PHOTO CREDIT - RolandGarros.com

Edmonton - June 7, 2012 - After watching both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer pushed to the distance during the first day of quarterfinal action at the 2012 French Open, the road wasn't nearly as difficult for defending champion Rafa Nadal or sixth seed David Ferrer.Unfortunately for fourth seed Andy Murray, it was another shot at a major that fell well short of him capturing that elusive first Grand Slam title. The two Spaniard's will now meet on semi-final Friday, as will the aforementioned duo of Djokovic and Federer.

While Nadal had yet to lose a set heading into his quarterfinal duel against Nicolas Almagro, the number twelve seed was in the exact same boat. After playing a tight first set, Rafa would take the tiebreaker and in essence end Almagro's afternoon. The hard hitting Spaniard was clearly in the match but once he dropped the opening set, it seemed as if any belief of pulling of the upset was gone.

The number two seed simply outlasted his opponent on most occasions and refused to put himself behind the eight ball. After committing only five unforced errors in the first set, Rafa followed that up with another five and six in the final two.With the 7-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory, Nadal continues to show why he is the odds on favourite to take home his seventh title at Roland Garros. His on court patience is second to none and has made him nearly unbeatable on clay.

After bringing the great Ivan Lendl on board as his coach and mentor, Andy Murray was starting to show signs of taking control of his on court demeanor. Typically hot headed and out of control when things were not going his way, the talented Scotsman was the complete opposite at this year's Australian Open and throughout the season. It appeared as though Lendl's approach of staying calm and relaxed had started to rub off. After yesterday's performance and subsequent meltdown, one has to wonder how long this partnership will last.

While there is no shame in falling to a player as good as Ferrer, the problem is the on court side show returned in the defeat. Instead of working though a rough patch play, Murray wilted under the pressure and went down without much of fight 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2. Ferrer did what he always does, staying in every point and hoping for his opponent to blink first...something Andy had little trouble doing.

Murray committed only ten unforced errors, taking the second set in a tiebreaker but made forty-nine in the other three, compared to Ferrer's match total of thirty-two. It is not as though Murray didn't have opportunities, as he broke serve five times. Problem being, he had his own serve taken on ten separate occasions. As much as Lendl seemed to be helping with the mental aspect of the game, this performance was definitely a step backwards for the talented twenty-five year old.