Rafa en photos

Rafael Nadal of Spain against John Isner during the final of the Western & Southern Open on August 18, 2013 at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

(August 17, 2013 - Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America) 

 

 

 

 

Rafa en photos

Rafael Nadal of Spain against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic in their Men's Singles semifinals match during the Western & Southern Open on August 17, 2013 at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America)

Rafa en photos

Rafael Nadal of Spain  against Roger Federer of Switzerland in their Men's Singles quarterfinals match during the Western & Southern Open on August 16, 2013 at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.(Source: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)

Rafael Nadal tops Roger Federer in Cincinnati with another classic between old rivals

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 summer of resurgence for the 27-year-old Spaniard. He missed the end of last season with a knee injury, but has gotten into one of the best surges of his career this season. He takes a career-best 51-3 mark into the semi-finals, including a 14-1 against Top 10 opponents.
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.

Source :http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/08/16/rafael-nadal-tops-roger-federer-in-cincinnati-with-another-classic-between-old-rivals/