Nadal shoots down Federer in Cincinnati

Roger Federer saved four match points before going down to Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in a quarter-final thriller early Saturday (GMT) at the Cincinnati Masters.

The elimination for the five-time champion will drop the fifth seeded Federer in the world rankings, while Nadal will be able to move up to second overall should he win the title on Sunday, according to the ATP Tour.

The Swiss won the first set with a crisp effort but let his game slip away as he allowed Nadal to come from behind and win the next two.

The pair have met a total of 31 times, with Nadal winning 21 of those.

“My movement got better, with more intensity,” said Nadal, undefeated on hardcourts in 2013. “I put in more balls on the return, and controlled the baseline, something that didn’t happen the first set and a half.

“The match was very close. I played some good points in important moments.”

Federer suffered only his second loss in the last five editions in Cincinnati.

“Credit to him for hanging in and getting back some tough shots,” said five-time champion Federer, who will fall to seventh in the world as a result of his defeat.

“I have some disappointment, I could have played better late in the second and early in the third.

“But my tactics were working most of the time. I served well for most of the match, but when I didn’t he was able to step it up.”