MASON, Ohio — The vintage rematch ended with Rafael Nadal pumping his arms after a perfect forehand. He was a little bit better than old nemesis Roger Federer once again.
Nadal advanced to the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over Federer on Friday night, a vintage rematch that reinforced their head-to-head standings for now.
Nadal improved to 21-10 against his top rival, including wins in all of their three matches this year. A close match came down to a few points, and Nadal got most of them.
Their first meeting in Cincinnati was vintage and highlighted a day of upsets in the men’s bracket. No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray lost in the quarter-finals. No. 1 Serena Williams moved on in the women’s bracket.
It’s been a rough summer for Federer, who was beaten by a player ranked 116th in the world at Wimbledon. And that was just the start. The 32-year-old Swiss star kept getting upset and struggled with a sore back. He also changed rackets.
Federer hoped that his annual visit to Cincinnati would help him repair his game. He’s won the tournament an unprecedented five times. As the week went along, his game got noticeably better.
The quarter-finals match was as good as any in the tournament.
Federer got the first break to go up 6-5 in the opening set and finished it off with a crosscourt backhand. Nadal got his first break of the match on the final point of the second set to even it. He broke Federer again in the second game of the third set to take control.
They moved each other around, anticipated shots, hit the lines and lobbed over each other’s heads, making one improbable shot after another while bringing fans to their feet.
Federer fought off four match points before Nadal put it away.
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