Nadal sets up clash with Federer
Print Edition
Roger Federer put aside his recent struggles with a come-from-behind win over veteran Tommy Haas on Thursday in Mason, Ohio, booking a quarterfinal against long-time rival Rafael Nadal at the Western & Southern Open.
Federer overcame a slow start to beat Haas 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and emerge from his string of subpar showings since Wimbledon.
Nadal has a 20-10 head-to-head advantage over Federer, including two wins this year.
“Always playing against Roger is a special feeling,” Nadal said. “We have a great history behind us in our confrontations. So it’s another quarterfinal. It’s a special one because you’re playing against a very special player.”
Nadal beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in a 2-hour evening match. Nadal has overcome an injured left knee that wiped out the end of last season and a stomach virus that affected him early this year.
Federer has been struggling to get his game back in shape since he was upset at Wimbledon by a player ranked 116th in the world. He has switched rackets and been limited by a sore back.
A return to a tournament he’s won five times before — including last year — proved a tonic.
“I’m a strong believer that I am on the right path right now,” Federer said. “Today for a long time it wasn’t looking good, but these are the kind of matches I need right now.”
No. 1 Novak Djokovic got one win closer to a little ATP history. He beat qualifier David Goffin, 6-2, 6-0 and reach the quarterfinals.
Cincinnati is the only Masters series event he has yet to win. A tournament victory would make him the first player to win all nine Masters.
Also reaching the quarterfinals were second-seeded Andy Murray, sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych, seventh-seeded Juan Martin del Potro and Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov, who upset third-seeded David Ferrer.
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