Halle Open
He then reached his first grass-court final at the Halle Open, falling to No. 1 Roger Federer in three sets. He reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, but again lost to Federer, this time in straight sets. He then made it to the semifinals at the 2006 Mercedes Cup, losing to eventual champion David Ferrer. He then played in the 2006 Rogers Cup, where he upset Rafael Nadal in three sets, before losing to Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals. He then made it to his third straight fourth round in a Major at the 2006 US Open, losing to James Blake.