Madrid Masters: Nadal crushes Ferrer to reach the semis

One cannot quite fathom if it is fear or reverence. But David Ferrer has this disappointing habit of holding the door open with a bent knee to allow Rafael Nadal free passage into his mind and soul. The embattled Spaniard capitulated yet again, embracing defeat despite standing at the doorstep of victory. All Ferrer had to do, at 4-2 in the second set, was to hold serve twice to earn what seemed like a deserving victory. Instead, it was Nadal who slowly worked his way back into the contest. The Mallorcan overturned the deficit with typical resilience before rolling over his compatriot for a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Nadal fell to 0-40 in the fourth game of the first set, making three straight errors. He did work his way back to deuce, but was too erratic to prevent the break. As always, help is at hand for Nadal when Ferrer is across the net. A mistimed backhand cross court from Ferrer opened the door ever so slightly at 15-30 in the seventh game. Nadal barged in without the least courtesy, hammering a couple of eloquent backhand down the line winners to get the set back on serve.

The set was poised on edge at 30-30 in the tenth game, with Nadal serving to stay in the set. For once, the world No.4 proved equal to the task. Ferrer struck a couple of purposeful forehand winners to seal the break and take the first set. Imagine the relief that must have passed through Ferrer’s veins – it was his first set against Nadal after losing the previous twenty.

An incensed Nadal went after Ferrer in the very first game of the second set. Ferrer hung by the skin of his nails, to somehow survive the 14 point game – holding serve despite two break points and four deuces. The reprieve though proved to be temporary, as Nadal won eight points in a row to swallow the second and third games.

Battling toe to toe, with the determination of a mocked warrior, Ferrer took the next three games to grab the initiative at 4-2 in the second set. Stung by the assault, Nadal responded in kind to take the next three games. At 5-4 for Nadal, the storyline started to seem familiar. But then, Ferrer showed remarkable resolve to break at the brink and prolong the set.

At one point in the twelfth game, Ferrer stood two points from clinching a rare victory over Nadal. Almost half the court was open for the taking, but incredibly Ferrer chose to feed a short ball straight at Nadal. The Mallorcan responded with an inch perfect lob that destroyed Ferrer in one fell swoop. It was to be a point that proved decisive in the context of the game. A deflated Ferrer lost the next two points quickly to push the set into a breaker.

The first five points went against the serve, as both players battled with ferocious urgency. Nadal finally broke the jinx, when he took both service points to take control of the breaker at 5-2. An untimely double fault was the perfect giveaway of the demons that haunt Ferrer each time he sees Nadal across the net. At 6-3, Nadal wasted no further time, clinching the set with a service winner.

The damage was done and as Nadal raced away to a 4-0 lead in the decider. It was obvious too that Ferrer had vacated his mind for Nadal to run riot as he pleased. Ferrer had a break point in the fifth and a couple of game points on his serve in the sixth, but none of that really mattered. Ferrer had lost his faith and soul and nothing could really retrieve his situation.

The bagel to finish the match underlined the frailties of Ferrer, just as much as it showed the resilience and ruthlessness of Nadal. The two hour 38 minute match took Nadal one step closer to an impressive seventh final in as many attempts since his return to the tour. Nadal struck 38 winners to only 27 from Ferrer in clinching a painstaking victory over his compatriot.

Ferrer managed a meagre 49% on his first serve, while Nadal kept it at a relatively comfortable 71%. It also did not help that Ferrer threw in five double faults during the match. One look at the breakpoint numbers will tell you that both players had plenty of chances – Nadal saved 6 of 11 breakpoints, while Ferrer could only manage to cover 5 of 13 chances on his serve.

Nadal will face the winner between Kei Nishikori and Pablo Andujar in the semi-finals. Given the beastly brilliance of Nadal on clay, neither of those players inspires any confidence. It will now take a miracle to stop Nadal from contesting for his third Madrid title on Sunday.