Ferrero accounts for Nadal at Cincinnati quarters

CINCINNATI: Second seed Rafael Nadal was upstaged 7-6 7-6 by an inspired Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Friday.

Former French Open champion Ferrero had not won a set in his previous four meetings with Nadal but the former world number one outfought his younger compatriot to advance after two hours, 20 minutes.

Nadal, who won his second consecutive French Open title in June, looked on course for victory when he 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.

Ferrero saved two break points at 4-4 in the second set and following a 32-minute rain break, Ferrero snatched the tiebreak 7-3 to clinch his biggest victory of the year.

Nadal's defeat means that for the first time since the 2005 Australian Open, when both he and Federer have played in the same event, neither one has reached the final.