Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka defeats Spaniard David Ferrer at the Masters of London and secures Rafael Nadal's spot in the semifinals
Wawrinka won 7-5 and 6-2 in a match that turned against Ferrer when he double faulted and missed a point to win the first set.
This defeat eliminates Ferrer, 33, from qualifying for the semifinals of the Masters of London, which brings together the top eight players of the season.
Earlier, Rafael Nadal, fifth in the world, defeated second-ranked Andy Murray and now has two victories in Group Ilie Nastase. Murray and Wawrinka have one victory each and will play each other to secure a spot in the semifinals. Nadal will face Ferrer to finish first in the group.
.@stanwawrinka beats @DavidFerrer87 at #FinalShowdown; @RafaelNadal qualifies for SFs. #atp #tenis
NADAL WINS EARLY
Rafael Nadal defeated Andy Murray 6-4 and 6-1 at the Masters of London. Nadal, ranked fifth in the world, now has two victories in the tournament.
Nadal has achieved everything there is to win in tennis - 14 Grand Slam titles, including an Olympic gold medal - except for the Masters. In the past two seasons, Nadal's performances have been weak. In 2014, he won his ninth Roland Garros title but not much else due to injuries. This year, he won three tournaments - Buenos Aires, Stuttgart, and Hamburg - but did not reach the semifinals of any Grand Slam.
"As of today, I am in the league I want to play," said the 29-year-old Spaniard, "I feel free."
.@BrainGameTennis looks at how @RafaelNadal won a backhand battle at the #FinalShowdown.