Nadal beats Federer in emotional match
Posted May 7, 2011 2:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID, Spain — Spain’s Rafael Nadal overcame the distress of Seve Ballesteros’ death to reach his third straight Madrid Open final after rallying to beat Swiss star Roger Federer 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
Top-ranked Nadal maintained his clay dominance over Federer after an emotional start that saw the Spanish player shedding tears during the homage for golf great Ballesteros, who died earlier Saturday.
Nadal controlled the early stages before uncharacteristic errors allowed the third-ranked Swiss player back into the game to take the first set.
But the defending champion took control after that as he converted four break points over the next two sets to stretch his record to 11-2 against Federer on clay after a 37th straight victory on the surface.
