Nadal prevails vs. Federer; Djokovic, Murray ousted in Cincy QFs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Rafael Nadal won the latest encounter with Roger Federer, battling back from a set down to beat his adversary Friday night in the quarterfinals at the $3 million Western & Southern Open, a hardcourt ATP Masters 1000 event.
Nadal ran his record on hardcourts this season to 13-0 with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 triumph at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The fourth-seeded Spaniard improved his head-to-head record against Federer, the reigning champ and a five-time Cincy titlist, to 21-10.
The fifth-seeded Swiss star followed up a late break with a cross-court backhand to take the opening set.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The second set unfolded almost the same way, with the combatants remaining on serve until a misfired shot by Federer set up a second set point for Nadal, who sent a sizzling forehand past Federer for his first break.
Nadal, last week's Masters champion in Montreal, broke Federer again while storming out to a 3-0 lead in the third set. On his fifth match point, Nadal fired a forehand that was ruled to have clipped the left sideline. Federer opted not to challenge what a replay showed was the wrong call as the ball landed just outside the line.
Federer, who fell to 1-6 this year against Top 10 opponents, wasn't the lone Grand Slam champion to lose Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
American crowd favorite John Isner toppled world No. 1 star Novak Djokovic, while Tomas Berdych dismissed Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.
The unseeded Isner knocked out the four-time Cincinnati runner-up Djokovic in three sets, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-5. The tight match was decided when the towering American broke the Serbian stalwart in the final game of the bout.
Isner, who was a hardcourt runner-up in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago, is now 2-3 lifetime against Djokovic, with the other victory coming at a Masters event in Indian Wells, Calif., last season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Djokovic lost to Federer in last year's marquee finale.
This is the only Masters tournament that Djokovic has failed to win. He was the runner-up four of the last five years.
A sixth-seeded Berdych, meanwhile, bounced the second-seeded Murray in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, on Day 6. Murray has now failed to get past the quarterfinals at both of his events since capturing his first Wimbledon title last month. He was a third-round loser in Montreal last week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Murray is a two-time Cincy titlist (2008, 2011).
Seventh-seeded former U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro held off oft- injured Russian veteran Dmitry Tursunov, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. The 6-foot-7 Argentine slugger del Potro beat Isner in the recent D.C. finale and will face the 6- foot-9 American once again in Saturday's semifinals.
Nadal and Berdych will clash in the other semifinal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
This is the last Masters tournament before the U.S. Open, which will commence August 26 in New York.
The 2013 Cincinnati champ will collect $583,800.