BARCELONA, Spain -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadals clay-court struggles worsened Friday as his 41-match winning streak at the Barcelona Open ended with a three-set loss to Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals. Nadal was looking for his ninth title in Barcelona but lost 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, a week after going out in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters to David Ferrer. Nadal, widely considered the greatest clay-court player of all time, hadnt lost in Barcelona since his debut as a 15-year-old in 2003, although he missed the tournament in 2010. He had not dropped a set here since the 2008 final. The 20th-ranked Almagro converted his second match point, smashing a forehand down the line for his first career victory over his fellow Spaniard on the 11th try. "I had a lot of opportunities in the second set," Nadal said. "I didnt take advantage of break points, so credit goes to him." After failing to convert any of his five break points in the second set, Nadal missed a return in the tiebreaker to give Almagro a 6-5 lead. Almagro followed up with a crosscourt forehand winner to level the match and end Nadals streak of 44 straight sets at the tournament. Both players were steady on serve until an exchange of breaks made it 4-4 in the third, and Nadal then sent a shot long to be broken again and give Almagro a chance to serve for the match. Nadal set up two straight chances to break back, but hit a forehand long and then sent a smash into the net with Almagro out of position. Nadal then saved the first match point when Almagros backhand flew wide. But Almagro used a serve-and-volley to save a third break point of the game before Nadals long return set up the second match point. Nadal hadnt been eliminated this early in back-to-back clay-court tournaments since 2004, when as an 18-year-old he also failed to get past the quarterfinals in Stuttgart and Bastad. "This is an important win for my career," said Almagro, who celebrated wildly. Almagro will face Santiago Giraldo in Saturdays semifinals after Philipp Kohlschreiber retired with an injury while trailing 6-4, 4-3. Earlier, Kei Nishikori of Japan and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia overpowered opponents to set up a semifinal meeting. The fourth-seeded Nishikori continued his good run since returning from a groin injury with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Marin Cilic of Croatia, while the ninth-seeded Gulbis dismissed Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-1, 6-4. Gulbis saved all five break points against Gabashvili, who had knocked out the fifth-ranked Ferrer. New England Patriots Store .ca. Mr. Fraser, It looks like Martin Brodeur is coming back to play for the Blues. I was wondering if you have any great stories or fond memories of your time on the ice with Brodeur - in the NHL, or maybe even the Olympics. Fake Patriots Jerseys . 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New England Patriots Pro Shop .ca contributor Grant McCagg provides a look at some risers and fallers on the prospect watch.Tottenham could consistently challenge for the Premier League title, according to Graeme Souness. Spurs narrowed the gap on Leicester City at the top to seven points with a stunning 3-0 victory over Manchester United at White Hart Lane on Sunday.They are all but guaranteed to qualify for next seasons Champions League and are hot on the heels of the Foxes in case the league leaders slip up. Tottenham kept their hope of winning the league alive after they hammered Manchester United 3-0 at White Hart Lane Speaking on Super Sunday, Sky Sports pundit Souness said Spurs had the right squad, stadium and financial backing to ensure a bright future for the club.Tottenham is a club going forward, Souness said. Providing they can keep the players and providing they progress as they should do because theyve got some fabulous players who should only get better.Right now I would go as far to say that this is the best group I can remember Tottenham having, I really do. I think this team could challenge consistently for the Premier League. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino hailed a perfect performance by his players in their 3-0 win against Manchester United And you talk about success, what is success this year? They would have said they had an outside chance of getting into the Champions League, well it looks like they are going to do that.ddddddddddddIf youre in the Champions League then youve got the extra funds from being in the competition. So youre playing in London, you can pay their wages, playing in a brand new stadium, playing Champions League football and youve got a young team that can only get better - this might just be the place to be in ten years.Dele Alli got the ball rolling for Spurs with a goal in the 70th minute before Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela added a second and third in a remarkable six-minute spell. Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur scores their first goal Harry Kane also starred and was roundly applauded when he departed the field as a substitute late on, but Souness said it is important for the likes of Alli and Kane to keep their feet on the ground.Things can happen, injuries can happen, some players might not handle all the attention they are getting, he added.They start playing for their country and get big heads on their shoulders and thats when the manager and senior players have a part to play in that. Also See: Spurs keep title chase alive Spurs video Spurs fixtures ' ' '