Cincinnati: Second seed Rafael Nadal lost 7-6 7-6 to an inspired Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Friday, a day when the enterprising run of British teenager Andy Murray also came to an end.
Ferrero had not won a set in his previous four meetings with Nadal but outfought his fellow Spaniard to set up a semi-final clash with compatriot Tommy Robredo, who knocked out fourth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 6-2.
"For sure I didn't play the best match of my life but I wasn't very bad," Nadal said.
"He played a good match. That's all."
The world No 2, who won his second consecutive French Open title in June, broke serve on his way to a 3-1 lead but Ferrero broke back in the fifth game and then played a superb tiebreak to move ahead.
The unseeded Ferrero saved two break points at 4-4 in the second set and, following a 32-minute rain break, snatched the tiebreak 7-3 to clinch his biggest victory of the year.
"It's a very special win for me because Nadal is one of the best players in the world," said the 2003 French Open champion and former world No 1.
"I felt very calm. I did not make mistakes in the important moments and that's one of the keys to winning these kind of matches."
Despite the defeat, Nadal was upbeat about the state of his game with the US Open on the horizon later this month.
"I improved a lot here from Toronto (last week)," he said. "Now I am disappointed but I reached the quarter-final so it is not a very bad tournament."
Learning Experience
Robredo saved three set points in the first-set tiebreak as he beat third seed Ljubicic for the first time in five meetings.
The world No 7 maintained his run of not losing his serve in the entire tournament and broke Ljubicic twice in the second set to advance to a clash with Ferrero, one of his closest friends.
"It will be just like another guy," Robredo said. "Maybe we are going to go out for dinner tonight but tomorrow I will want to win. It doesn't matter who is on the other side of the court."
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Murray, who beat world No 1 Roger Federer in the second round, bowed out of the event with a 6-3 6-4 defeat by American Andy Roddick.
Playing his 14th match in 17 days, Murray was clearly struggling physically and though he saved four match points, he was unable to prevent Roddick, who hit 16 aces, advancing to the last four.
"It's been a great learning experience for me," said Murray, who reached the final in Washington and semi-finals last week in Toronto.
"I knew I could play good tennis against the best players, but I'd not done it consistently before. I've proved that I can go deep into tournaments three weeks in a row."
Roddick admitted the nerves had been setting in as the finishing line approaches.
"I got really tight there at the end," Roddick said.
"But that's the best I have felt in a long time. I think he (Murray) has had a tough few weeks and played a lot of matches so maybe I got him on a good day."
The former world No 1 has slipped outside of the world's top 10 and Roddick said he was on the way to proving a point.
"It's weird to kind of be given up on at 23-years-old, which is kind of the way it felt from some corners," he said.
"To be playing good tennis again, it's rewarding. It feels really good."
Roddick will play Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in the semi-finals after the 13th seed beat Spanish 10th seed David Ferrer 6-2 6-4.
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