The Spaniard found himself outpaced 6-2, 6-4 after a breathtaking semi-final display of power and touch by the 2009 US Open champion at the Shanghai Masters.
Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied to see off Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in the Shanghai Open quarter-finals on Friday and world number one Rafa Nadal also booked his place in the last four.
Fifth seed Roger Federer was dumped out of the Shanghai Open, losing to Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the third round on Thursday.
Top seed Novak Djokovic launched his Shanghai Open title defence in fine style, breezing past Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-0 on Wednesday. Later Roger Federer, playing his first singles match since a fourth-round exit at the US Open, made a brisk return to winning ways, beating Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-3.
Gilles Simon defeated defending champion and compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-3 in the Metz Open final on Sunday to become the joint second most successful Frenchman of the open era with an 11th ATP Tour title.
His US Open triumph made him, at 40, the oldest man to win a major title in the open era. Bikash Mohapatra believes Leander Paes's decision to switch to doubles at the peak of his singles career is the reason behind his longevity.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will not compete at this month's U.S. Open tennis grand slam after failing to recover in time from a knee injury.
Britain's Wimbledon hope Andy Murray has to live with the very different pressure that comes with being labelled a shoe-in to reach the final after two of his main rivals suffered shock exits in early rounds.
An air of calm descended at Wimbledon on 'Tranquil Thursday' as Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams avoided the trail of destruction that had decimated the field at the All England Club on day three of the grasscourt major.
The second round of this year's Wimbledon has equalled the record for withdrawals and retirements for a single round at a Grand Slam in the professional era after two more players quit on Thursday.
Wimbledon king Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova endured jolting second-round losses to opponents outside the world top 100 in a freakishly dramatic 'Wednesday Wipeout' that saw seven players withdraw injured and the draw shredded.
Wimbledon's genteel surrounds resembled Saturday night on a casualty ward as injuries saw seven players withdraw or retire and third seed Maria Sharapova stumble to a shock second-round defeat on Wednesday.
Roger Federer faces a tough road to another Wimbledon final after Friday's draw threw Rafa Nadal and home favourite Andy Murray into the champion's path and cleared the way for world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt gave a glimpse of his grasscourt arts to beat Juan Martin del Potro in Friday's quarter-finals of the Aegon Championships.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna entered the men's doubles quarter-finals in the Aegon Championships after receiving a walk-over from the French combo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nicolas Mahut.
Andy Murray emerged unscathed as he completed back-to-back wins at a blustery Aegon Championships in London on Thursday in his first matches following a four-week break caused by a back injury.
Images from Day 13 of the French Open at the Roland Garros on Friday.
Rafael Nadal displayed the athleticism and self-belief that earned him seven French Open titles to tame Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 in a pulsating 4-1/2 hour Roland Garros semi-final on Friday.
The current best player in the world meets the greatest claycourt player of all time in a French Open blockbuster on Friday -- but it is not even the final.
Stanislas Wawrinka will draw on the advice and experience of the man who coached the only person to beat Rafa Nadal at Roland Garros.
Images from Day 10 of the French Open at the Roland Garros on Tuesday.
It took Roger Federer some effort. For more than half the match it looked like Gilles Simon, the second seed's fourth round opponent at Roland Garros and someone who had beaten the 2009 champion before, would cause an upset. the win against Simon was Federer's 900th career singles win. Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra lists the players from the 900 wins club.
Ana Ivanovic says she is a more complete player than when she won the French Open title in 2008 but lacks the confidence of her younger self.
The second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open has, over the years, managed to pull in celebrities at high-profile matches. This year again, the celebrities have been in attendance as the big names of the game slug it out and get dirty on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Rediff.com gives a quick glimpse of the famous faces that have, so far, been spotted at the French Open.
Seeing the usually majestic Roger Federer down on his hands and knees -- literally -- is a rare sight in tennis but that turned out to be the least of his problems at the French Open on Sunday as he flirted with a last-16 exit.
Images from Day VIII of the French Open at Roland Garros, Paris.
Images from the fourth day of the French Open on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal, as expected, took his place in the second round but his 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over the inspired German, who had never won a main-draw match at Roland Garros, was fraught with danger as he flirted with the unthinkable.
Images from Day 2 of the French Open in Paris, on Monday.
Jerzy Janowicz ripped off his shirt after stunning Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro visited the Pope and Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka pulled out through injury at the Italian Open on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal claimed a fifth title since his return from injury when the Spanish world number five dismissed 15th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 to win the Madrid Open on Sunday.
Andy Murray's latest bid for a maiden clay title ended when he fell to Tomas Berdych in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Friday, leaving Rafa Nadal as the only member of the 'big four' still alive at the Masters event.
Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal will lock horns with World No 1 Novak Djokovic for third time in the Monte Carlo Masters final after both sailed through their semi-finals with relative ease on Saturday.
Eight-times champion Rafael Nadal was taken to the brink by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov before completing a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory on Friday to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals. He will meet Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
Rafael Nadal calmly continued his bid for a ninth consecutive crown at the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-2, 6-4 third-round victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic will be hoping his gamble to play in the Monte Carlo Masters does not leave his claycourt season going bust after he decided to test his injured ankle in the glamorous principality.
British World No. 3 Andy Murray cruised to a straightforward victory over Bernard Tomic at the Sony Open but the Williams sisters had contrasting fortunes in Miami on Saturday.
Erratic serving cost Andy Murray dearly as the U.S. Open champion was knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 by Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro on Friday.
Defending champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set up a mouth-watering showdown in the BNP Paribas quarter-finals after they battled through tricky fourth-round encounters on Wednesday.
Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic recovered from a poor start while third seed Andy Murray displayed much sharper form as they both advanced to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday.
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