Djokovic ends Nadal’s run

Novak Djokovic handed number one in waiting Rafael Nadal his first defeat in nearly three months, stunning the Spaniard 6-1, 7-5 to reach the final of the Cincinnati Masters.

Novak Djokovic handed number one in waiting Rafael Nadal his first defeat in nearly three months, stunning the Spaniard 6-1, 7-5 to reach the final of the Cincinnati Masters.

The Serbian number three seed snapped a 32-match win streak for Nadal, who was last defeated on May 7 by compatriot and former No.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in Rome, with Nadal suffering from foot blisters.

“I played the best summer hard season in my life, so I’m very happy for that,” said Nadal, who is 64-8 on the season with seven titles. Djokovic is re-emerging as a force in the game just two days after Roger Federer lost his grip on the top ranking after four-and-a-half years. Djokovic has defeated Nadal in four of their six matches on hardcourt. Djokovic will line up in a revenge repeat of last week’s losing quarter-final in Toronto when he takes on Andy Murray.

Bhupathi-Knowles lose

Meanwhile, Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles squandered a match point en route to an agonising 4-6, 7-6 (7), 10-8 loss to top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in the semi-finals of the ATP Cincinnati Masters here.