World no.1 and two-time defending champion (three overall) Novak Djokovic failed in attempt to reach the 2013 Rogers Cup final.
The fourth-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal ended the Serb’s Canada Open campaign with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) win in two hours and 28 minutes at Uniprix Stadium.
It was the pair’s 36th career encounter, which ties Lendl-McEnroe for most meetings in the Open Era. Nadal now leads their H2H 21-15.
Nadal started very strong and broke Novak in the very first game. The top seed was broken once again in the seventh game falling behind, 2-5. He managed to break Rafa once, when serving for the set, but the Manacor native closed it at second attempt.
Nole bounced back in the second set. He needed only one break of serve to take it 6-3 and force the match into a decider.
The third set went to a tie-break as both players held their serves. Nadal raced to a 6-0 lead. Novak saved two match points with winners, but then hit a forehand long and the Spaniard clinched it 7-2.
“It was very close match,” Djokovic said. “There were very few points that decided the winner. Can’t really pick one moment. I had my chances. He had his chances. I guess at the end he played better…Whenever we play against each other, it’s always a thrilling match for crowd to see. We are both competing at the high level. We both want to win these matches.”
Match statistics: aces (8-7), double faults (7-1), winners (27-21), unforced errors (44-36), total points won (95-97).
Nadal will be playing local favourite Milos Raonic in the finals, biding to win his third crown.
Novak is heading to Cincinnati, where he will play at the Western & Southern Open next week (11-18 August).
He will attempt to complete a sweep of the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and become the first singles player to win all of the ATP World Tour’s nine premier events.
Photo: Getty Images
