PARIS -- Rafael Nadals path to a record-extending ninth French Open title could take him through a series of matches against the men who beat him on clay this season. The top-seeded Nadal was drawn Friday to possibly face No. 21 Nicolas Almagro in the fourth round, then No. 5 David Ferrer in the quarterfinals. "Those are opponents that know how to play well on clay," Nadal said. "But its never easy." The other mens quarterfinal matchups could be No. 2 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Milos Raonic, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka vs. No. 7 Andy Murray, and No. 4 Roger Federer vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych. The possible womens quarterfinals are No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 7 Maria Sharapova in what would be a rematch of last years final won by Williams, No. 2 Li Na vs. No. 6 Jelena Jankovic, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. No. 8 Angelique Kerber, and No. 4 Simona Halep vs. No. 5 Petra Kvitova. Ferrer, who lost to Nadal in the 2013 final at Roland Garros, upset him in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals last month. Almagro ended Nadals 41-match winning streak in Barcelona by beating him in the quarterfinals there a week later. Those defeats were both in best-of-three-set matches. The French Open, like all Grand Slam tournaments, uses a best-of-five format for men, and Nadal was asked Friday whether that gives him an advantage on clay. "I give my most every point, every game, every set. Whether its (best of) three or five, if you want to win, you have to play well," he said. Nadal has three losses on clay in a season for the first time since 2004, when he was only 17 and had yet to play a match at the French Open. He was beaten in the Rome final last weekend by Djokovic; they only could meet in the final in Paris. Djokovic has won the pairs last four meetings, but Nadal is 5-0 head-to-head at the French Open, including victories in the 2012 final and 2013 semifinals. Djokovic, a six-time major champion who needs a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, and Federer, owner of a record 17 major titles, were drawn to meet in the semifinals. Nadal, who stands third among men with 13 Grand Slam trophies, could meet Australian Open champion Wawrinka in the semifinals. Nadal is 59-1 for his career at the French Open, with four titles in a row in 2005-08 and again in 2010-13. Williams won the clay-court Grand Slam tournament in 2002, beating her older sister Venus in the final, then waited 11 years before adding a second French Open trophy in 2013. The Williams sisters were drawn Friday to face each other in the third round, which would be their earliest meeting at a Grand Slam tournament since their very first matchup, in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open. Venus is seeded 29th at the French Open. Shes won seven Grand Slam singles titles, 10 fewer than Serena, who holds a 14-10 edge in head-to-head matches. "It never gets easier," Serena said. "Shes essentially the love of my life, so its definitely difficult." New Orleans Saint Jerseys China .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. Custom Saint Jerseys . - Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has nothing but good problems right now. http://www.cheapsaints.com/9ot-cheap-eri...rsey-Saint.html. The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Cheap New Orleans Saint Gear . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. Wholesale New Orleans Saint Jerseys . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). Kohlschreiber had lost all of his three previous matches against Istomin but the German broke serve for a decisive 3-2 lead in the third set and held on to reach his first final of the year.ST. PAUL, Minn. - After failing to protect a lead two nights ago against one of the NHLs worst teams, the Minnesota Wild held on late against a fellow playoff contender. Zach Parise broke a tie early in the third period, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots to break the franchise rookie victory record in Wilds 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. After Jason Pominville had several whacks at the puck from in close, Parise stuffed it past Rangers backup goalie Cam Talbot 1:03 into the third. "Yeah, its going to be important from here on out to learn how to protect leads and win games the hard way," Parise said. "Tonight, it was a hard game, the way they played. They were in our face all the time through the neutral zone." Two nights after Kuemper failed hold a three-goal lead against Edmonton, he bounced back for his 12th victory. Nino Niederreiter also scored to help the Wild snap a three-game losing streak. Derek Stepan scored for the Rangers, who buzzed around the net in the final seconds, but couldnt get one past Kuemper. New York lost its second straight and for only the seventh time on the road in its last 24 games. "After they scored their second goal in the third period, they sort of backed off a little bit on their forecheck, and we were able to get some chances there but werent able to finish," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. Kuempers highlights included a save from close range on Derick Brassard with 8 seconds left and a key stop on Rick Nash when the Rangers were on the power play late in the third. After the game, Kuemper was asked if he felt any added pressure after Tuesday nights collapse. "No, you know what, maybe a little bit before the game. But once you get out there its just another game and you just want to do what youve done all year," he said. "I think as a whole we did a good job of thaat.ddddddddddddquot; Niederreiter scored from the slot in the first after confusion between Nash and John Moore led to a turnover deep in the New York zone. Stepan tied it on the power play at 3:19 of the second with a wrist shot that Kuemper never saw. Stepan hit the post on a shot 15 seconds earlier. It was the second straight game New York was held to a single goal. "I dont think it was so much them, I think were more worried about ourselves," Nash said. "We have to establish more offence, more shots. Its just not going our way right now. Weve got to work through this." Talbot — starting the first game of a back-to-back in place of Henrik Lundqvist — made 24 saves. Both teams are trying to hold down playoff spots as the season winds down. The Wild are in the top wild-card slot in the Western Conference, while the Rangers are in a battle to finish among the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division in the East. "What I liked was the two goals that we scored were goals that we can score in the playoffs," said Wild coach Mike Yeo, whose team has played in six straight one-goal games, going 3-1-2. "Those are the kind of goals that we have to score going forward. That was one of our keys to the game, we need a playoff offence mentality. I still think we can be a little bit more aggressive to the net." NOTES: While calling the game from between the benches in the first period, Wild television analyst Mike Greenlay took an accidental stick to the face from New Yorks Mats Zuccarello. Greenlay got stitches during the intermission and called the rest of the game with a small bandage under his left eye. "Upper body injury," Yeo joked after the game. ... Stepan has 10 points in his last eight games. New York lost for only the second time when Stepan scores. ... Parises goal was his 23rd, one behind Pominville for the team lead. 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