Nadal knocked out of US Open by fellow Spaniard 06/09/2007 00:00

6 September 2007

NEW YORK - Spaniard David Ferrer recorded the biggest upset on the men's side at tennis' last Grand Slam event of the year, eliminating compatriot and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in a fourth-round match that ended early Wednesday.

Yet despite the early exit of Spain's top player, the Iberian nation matched its best showing at the tournament since the start of the Open Era in 1968, with two of its players - Ferrer and Carlos Moya - in the quarterfinals.

In a nighttime battle of two of the fastest and best defensive players in the world, the 25-year-old Ferrer was able to track down more balls and fire more winners (48 to 33) than the three-time French Open champion, who had been struggling with a knee injury since the start of the tournament.

On Tuesday afternoon, the 31-year-old Moya - the oldest player left in the tournament - became the first Spaniard to reach the quarterfinals when he ousted up-and-coming Latvian teen Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.

Moya, a former U.S. Open semifinalist and French Open champion, will next play world No. 3 Novak Djokovic of Serbia, while Ferrer will take on Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela.

The only other year two Spanish players - better known for their clay-court prowess - reached the quarterfinals of this hard court Slam in the Open Era was 1996, when Alex Corretja and Javier Sanchez lost in that round to Americans Pete Sampras and Michael Chang, respectively. EFE

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news