Cincinnati Masters: Rafael Nadal outlasts Roger Federer yet again

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dished out a tactically rich match

It was a match that was tactically rich – Federer attacked the ball in the first set, even off his backhand to gain the extra inches necessary to carry him into the forecourt. The Swiss controlled the tempo of the rallies and an unsettled Nadal moved aside reluctantly to surrender the set. Midway through the second, Nadal responded by turning on an extra dose of power from his deep reservoir of determination to steal away those seconds from the ageing legs of Federer.

Once the Spaniard’s power pushed Federer back behind the baseline, Nadal had much better control over the arc. The dynamic changed quickly, allowing the Spaniard to revert to his tested methods of tormenting the Federer backhand with an inconveniently high bounce off an impossibly revving ball.

Even though another loss, especially one that has tilted the hard court argument back towards Nadal (7-6), ought to hurt, there were plenty of positives for the Swiss.

Except for that five game swing midway through the contest, Federer looked his assured self with the old 90″ back in his palm. At 32, Federer will suffer losses, but this match proved that the genius from Basel had both the hunger and skill to match up with the best in the business.

Though Roger Federer will slip to No. 7 in rankings next week, he had positives to take from this defeat

As seething fans wait for Federer to regain at least some of the lost glory, the Swiss has the rest of the year to work out new ploys with coach Paul Annacone to try and find his way back into the elite group. Next week Federer will slip to 7th in the rankings, his lowest rank in nearly eleven years.

“I’m happy with my progress along the way,” said Federer, looking to delve on the positive. “[I] Could have won tonight, should have won tonight. But at the end, I think Rafa’s confidence and the way he’s playing at the moment got him through.” It almost always has Roger, but we admire your tenacity and the intensity of desire.

“Always the emotions are there when we play each other,” said Nadal, seeking to downplay the significance of the contest. “But the emotions in the final are always more special than when you’re playing quarterfinals.”

Nadal continues to amaze the world with his brutal ability to subdue opponents week after week. The Spaniard will extend his record semifinal appearances to 49 when he takes on Tomas Berdych on Saturday.

It will be impossible to bet against a 37th final for the Spaniard and a 26th ATP World Tour Masters Series title on Sunday with both Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray safely out of sight.