Struggling Nadal has no answer as Federer produces indoor masterclass
FORMER world No1 Roger Federer stormed into the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals event with a crushing straight sets victory over old foe Rafael Nadal.
French Open champion Nadal had won his last three meetings with Swiss ace Federer and boasted a positive 17-8 head-to-head record against the 14-time grand slam champion.
But the form book went out of the window last night, as a packed 02 Arena in London witnessed a one-sided contest which Federer dominated from start to finish, taking fractionally over an hour to complete a 6-3, 6-0 victory.
“I’m very happy, it’s a very surprising result. Sometimes you don’t live up to your expectations. I’ve definitely seen Rafa play better but I’ve definitely played worse,” said the 30-year-old Federer.
Federer’s forehand was the key weapon in the first set and the pressure eventually told in the sixth game when Nadal was broken after he fired fractionally wide with an attempted pass.
Nadal was battling simply to register a game in the second set but he had no answer to a barrage of Federer winners and succumbed to his first love set against the Swiss for four and a half years.
Federer now faces a dead rubber against the already eliminated American Mardy Fish tomorrow, while Nadal will battle it out with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the remaining qualification spot in Group B.
WORLD TOuR FINALS | ORDER OF PLAY
GROUP A
2pm Janko Tispsarevic v Tomas Berdych
8pm Novak Djokovic v David Ferrer