Nadal dumped out by Ferrero

Second seed Rafael Nadal was upstaged 7-6, 7-6 by an inspired Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Friday.

Former French Open champion Ferrero had not won a set in his previous four meetings with Nadal but the former world number one outfought his younger compatriot to advance after two hours, 20 minutes.

Nadal, who won his second consecutive French Open title in June, looked on course for victory when he broke serve on his way to a 3-1 lead but Ferrero broke back in the fifth game and then played a superb tiebreak to move ahead.

Ferrero saved two break points at 4-4 in the second set and following a 32-minute rain break, Ferrero snatched the tiebreak 7-3 to clinch his biggest victory of the year.

Nadal's defeat means that for the first time since the 2005 Australian Open, when both he and Federer have played in the same event, neither one has reached the final.

Ferrero will meet fellow-Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who upset third seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-6, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals.

The world number seven saved three set points in the first-set tiebreak before easing through the second to set up a clash with fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, who upended second seed Rafael Nadal 7-6, 7-6.

MURRAY BOWS OUT

A valiant Andy Murray bowed out of the tournament, beaten 6-3, 6-4 by American ninth seed Andy Roddick.

Murray, who defeated world number one Roger Federer in the second round, saved four match points but Roddick proved too strong as he gained a measure of revenge for his defeats by the Scot in their two previous meetings.

The American will now play the winner of Friday's late match between Spanish 10th seed David Ferrer and Chilean 13th seed Fernando Gonzalez.

Playing his 14th match in 17 days, Murray was broken in the eighth game and from that point on, he looked physically spent as Roddick took advantage.

The American served out for the first set and then stormed to a 5-2 lead in the second only for Murray to have a second wind, breaking back and then saving two match points on his own serve to reduce the deficit to 5-4.

Murray then saved two more match points on the Roddick serve but the American, who hit 16 aces on the night, clinched victory on his fifth match point to advance to the last four.