MADRID, (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer served up another classic in the 24th chapter of their great rivalry yesterday, Nadal battling back from a set down to win 5-7 6-1 6-3 and secure a place in the Madrid Masters final.
The Spanish world number one, who replaced Federer at the top of the rankings, made the most of his opponent’s lack of consistency to set up a meeting in today’s final against second seed Novak Djokovic or Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. Nadal and Federer, who have 26 grand slam singles titles between them, had met in the last two Madrid finals, with the Swiss winning in 2009 and Nadal gaining revenge last year.
Nadal is bidding for a third claycourt title in a month after he won back-to-back at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open in April.
The 24-year-old Spaniard’s win on Saturday was his 37th consecutive victory on the red dirt since falling to Swede Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the 2009 French Open.