Cincinnati Masters: Rafael Nadal outlasts Roger Federer yet again

Rafael Nadal won 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 against Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals of Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati

The rivalry is no different from a soap opera – the outcome is no secret, yet we cannot stop tuning into it. Like the lingering aroma of a specially crafted perfume from Grasse, there is an alluring charm about a contest between two of the most accomplished gladiators in tennis.

However, as Roger Federer squared off against Rafael Nadal for the 31st time, expectations were ebbing away around the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The Swiss maestro had been laid low by a string of defeats even as the rampant bull from Spain was courting success with alarming regularity. In the event, fans were treated to yet another thrilling game of tennis that far exceeded expectations.

Eventually Nadal came from behind to prevail again, pounding the Swiss into submission with raw aggression and brutal power off the baseline to take a well deserved 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory in two hours and 14 minutes. Nadal’s 21st victory over Federer helped him inch closer to what might be an incredible 37th Masters series finals this Sunday.

The match began with a couple of forehand errors from Federer, before Nadal took the first game with a classy forehand down the line winner. Buoyed by it, Nadal pushed Federer to four deuces in the next game before allowing Federer to hold serve. The intensity began to singe the turf as Federer forced the issue from 40-15 in the next game to gain the first break point of the match. But the eager Swiss baked a backhand too brown to let the opportunity melt away into the night.

With the initial squabble remaining unresolved, both players settled into a fine rhythm on their serve to hold without pain and stay even through 5-5. The break came without so much as a warning – Federer struck a vintage forehand down the line winner to eke out a valuable break point.

Under pressure, Nadal ended on the wrong end of a lengthy rally when he sent a backhand crashing into the net. Federer snatched the set in the next game with a couple of fluently authored cross-court winners to inch ahead from his storied nemesis.

Nadal had beaten Federer in straight sets on the two other occasions where they played each other – in Indian Wells and Rome earlier this season. Suddenly the packed stadium wondered if Federer had it in him to reverse the tide.

But Nadal is a relentless warrior and he probed Federer in the fourth game. Down 15-40 on his serve, the Swiss needed a couple of errors from his Spanish opponent to claw back to deuce before holding serve with the help of an ace and a forehand cross-court winner.

Federer made a hat-trick of unforced errors to help Nadal hold serve in the ninth game. Serving to stay in the set, Federer wasted a game point when he flailed a forehand cross-court wide. Three deuces points later, Federer sailed a forehand long again to offer a second set point to Nadal. The Spaniard took it this time with a crunching forehand down the line winner to force the battle into a decisive third set.

Nadal wasted no time to take advantage of the swing in momentum – pushing Federer to the back foot in the second game. The forehand was the culprit again, as it let its master slip to 0-40. The break was only delayed when Nadal made a couple of unforced errors before taking it with a backhand down the line winner. When Nadal won the next game, it was his fifth straight game and a pivotal passage of play that eventually determined the outcome of this encounter.

The advantage firmly in his pocket, Nadal marched ahead towards victory with a characteristic resolve. To his credit, Federer came back from 40-0 in the ninth game to save four match points. There were a few brilliantly crafted forehand cross-court winners that reminded us of his sheer genius, but it came a tad late for the Swiss. Nadal shut the door firmly, painting the line with a forehand winner that sizzled past Federer to claim victory.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dished out a tactically rich match

It was a match that was tactically rich – Federer attacked the ball in the first set, even off his backhand to gain the extra inches necessary to carry him into the forecourt. The Swiss controlled the tempo of the rallies and an unsettled Nadal moved aside reluctantly to surrender the set. Midway through the second, Nadal responded by turning on an extra dose of power from his deep reservoir of determination to steal away those seconds from the ageing legs of Federer.

Once the Spaniard’s power pushed Federer back behind the baseline, Nadal had much better control over the arc. The dynamic changed quickly, allowing the Spaniard to revert to his tested methods of tormenting the Federer backhand with an inconveniently high bounce off an impossibly revving ball.

Even though another loss, especially one that has tilted the hard court argument back towards Nadal (7-6), ought to hurt, there were plenty of positives for the Swiss.

Except for that five game swing midway through the contest, Federer looked his assured self with the old 90″ back in his palm. At 32, Federer will suffer losses, but this match proved that the genius from Basel had both the hunger and skill to match up with the best in the business.

Though Roger Federer will slip to No. 7 in rankings next week, he had positives to take from this defeat

As seething fans wait for Federer to regain at least some of the lost glory, the Swiss has the rest of the year to work out new ploys with coach Paul Annacone to try and find his way back into the elite group. Next week Federer will slip to 7th in the rankings, his lowest rank in nearly eleven years.

“I’m happy with my progress along the way,” said Federer, looking to delve on the positive. “[I] Could have won tonight, should have won tonight. But at the end, I think Rafa’s confidence and the way he’s playing at the moment got him through.” It almost always has Roger, but we admire your tenacity and the intensity of desire.

“Always the emotions are there when we play each other,” said Nadal, seeking to downplay the significance of the contest. “But the emotions in the final are always more special than when you’re playing quarterfinals.”

Nadal continues to amaze the world with his brutal ability to subdue opponents week after week. The Spaniard will extend his record semifinal appearances to 49 when he takes on Tomas Berdych on Saturday.

It will be impossible to bet against a 37th final for the Spaniard and a 26th ATP World Tour Masters Series title on Sunday with both Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray safely out of sight.