Nadal stunned by Ferrer

12 April 2012

David Ferrer closed in on a spot in the semi-finals at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai after coming from a set down to defeat world number two Rafael Nadal 4-6 6-4 6-3 on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old, who is ranked sixth in the eight-man event, dropped the opener but came back to win the second set before breaking his Spanish compatriot twice to take a 5-1 lead in the deciding set.

Although Nadal managed to break back once to close the gap to 5-3, Ferrer held on to secure his second win in the Gold Group following his 6-4 6-4 victory over Novak Djokovic on Sunday.

Ferrer, who hit a total of 23 winners against Nadal's 10, can secure top spot in the group with victory against number eight Richard Gasquet on Thursday.

Nadal needs a win in his final group game against the winless Djokovic to ensure his progress to the last four.

Third-ranked Djokovic is out of contention for a place in the last four after suffering his second consecutive straight-sets loss, going down 6-4 6-2 to Gasquet.

Beaten 3-6 6-3 6-4 by Nadal in his opening match, Gasquet kept his semi-final hopes alive with a dominating performance against the Serbian, who contributed to his own demise with 27 unforced errors.

"I had nothing to lose against Novak because he's number three in the world," said Gasquet.

"I just had to enjoy the moment to play in the Masters Cup and just to play my game. I did a perfect match. I played a lot of amazing shots with my backhand."

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