PARIS — Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 in a Wednesday quarterfinal to hand the Spaniard only his second loss at the French Open.
PARIS — Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 in a Wednesday quarterfinal to hand the Spaniard only his second loss at the French Open.
The knockout by the top seed ended Nadal’s chance to earn a record trophy at Roland Garros after lifting it in nine of the last 10 years. The victory puts Djokovic in a semifinal against third-seeded Andy Murray, who beat No. 7 David Ferrer after more than three hours, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
Both Djokovic and Murray go in with a perfect 15-0 record on clay this season.
“It will be a tough match, I’ll have to play high-quality tennis,” said Murray, prior to his third Paris semifinal. “He played well to beat Rafa.”
Murray had to go a fourth set against Ferrer, who saved a match point in the 10th game of the third set before Murray ran away in the fourth with the win.
“It is tough to lose a set with a match point,” Murray said. “I took a toilet break after the set to compose myself. It’s very difficult to play a set after having had a match point.”
Nadal’s end was deflating, with the sixth seed double-faulting on a Djokovic match point to exit after saving 11 of 18 break points but never earning one.
“I lost in 2009 and it’s not the end. I lost in 2015 and it’s not the end. I hope to be back here next year,” Nadal said. “I had my moments, but in general Novak was in control most of the time. He was better than me. That’s it.
“I had a good fight in the first set, good fight in second but in third, I’m not happy the way I tried.”
Nadal, who turned 29 on Wednesday, saw the end of his Paris reign after coming on court with a 70-1 record at the event he has dominated.
It was his first loss at the tournament since exiting to Robin Soderling in the 2009 fourth-round. Nadal had won his last 39 matches at the venue.
Djokovic earned his 27th consecutive victory in a red-hot 2015 campaign in which he has already collected five titles.
“I have lots of respect for Rafa,” Djokovic said. “He has not played at his regular level this season, but he remains a champion.
The pair were facing off for the 44th time, with Djokovic now a winner in six of their last seven meetings.
“I had to play aggressive and concentrate on every point, it’s not easy to do against him, you can prepare all you want but playing Rafa is always a huge challenge,” said Djokovic, who took a 4-0 lead in the opening set to lay down a marker in a match which he controlled from the start.
Nadal had won their last four Grand Slam matches and all six of their previous encounters at Roland Garros.
In the women’s quarters, Timea Bacsinszky beat Alison Van Uytvanck 6-4, 7-5 to set up a semifinal showdown with Serena Williams.
The 25-year-old Bacsinszky has struck a rich seam of form this season with back-to-back titles in Mexico.
Bacsinszky won in under two hours and will face Williams for the second time this season after losing to her three months ago at Indian Wells.
Williams advanced over Italian Sara Errani 6-1, 6-3.
“I felt really comfortable out there. But playing her I had to get out to a really fast start. The tougher it gets, the harder I have to play,” said the American top seed.
Bacsinszky, with 39 winners, is the second Swiss player still alive in singles alongside Stan Wawrinka, who beat compatriot Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and next faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The last Swiss woman to reach a Paris semifinal was Martina Hingis — playing doubles at this Paris edition — in 2001; last Swiss to make the final four at any major was Patty Schnyder at the 2004 Australian Open.
“This is just incredible,” Bacsinszky said. “I’ve won two tough matches in the last two rounds (she beat fourth seed Petra Kvitova in the quarters).
“I’m proud of how I’ve been fighting. This was a difficult match, I had my tactics ready but I needed to find a solution at the end to win.
“I wasn’t feeling like the favorite today. That’s why I just tried to play my game and tried to find a solution like I did before. It was a great experience. I’m happy that I found the solution today against her.”
Williams, 33, who won Paris in 2002 and 2012, is bidding for a 19th Grand Slam singles title. The defeat of Errani was her first straight-sets win of the fortnight after losing the opening sets of her three previous matches.