Rafael Nadal will face Roger Federer in his Masters Cup semi-final.
Photo: AP
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Nikolay Davydenko Crashes Out of Masters Cup
Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko lost to Spain’s Rafael Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-4 at the Masters Cup in Shanghai on Friday, opening the way for Nadal to a semi-final against Roger Federer.
Nadal had a shaky start, losing the first set with a double fault. The Russian, however, failed to make the use of the first set win and started making errors. Davydenko apparently looked tired.
An early break helped the Spanish to take the second set.
Davydenko was on the way to bounce back in the third set but Nadal’s medical break obviously drained Davydenko and he failed to convert two break points in the last game. The Spanish outhit the Russian, making him send the last ball far behind the baseline.
“At the stat of the third set I was moving well. I was hitting balls well and I was feeling great,” Davydenko said after the match. “But then there were some long rallies because Nadal tried to play baseline and top-spin and he was running a lot. Slowly I started feeling tired and then I started making some mistakes.”
James Blake has already secured a place in the semis after winning the Gold Group. He will meet David Nalbandian in the other semi-final.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 18, 2006
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