Nadal the latest upset at Masters Cup

By Alastair Himmer

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - World number two Rafael Nadal suffered the latest upset at the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup when he was beaten 4-6 6-4 6-3 by fellow Spaniard David Ferrer on Tuesday.

Nadal was out-muscled by an inspired Ferrer, who boosted his round-robin record to 2-0 and virtually assured himself a spot in the semi-finals in Shanghai.

Nadal, whose defeat came a day after world number one Roger Federer lost his opener, must now beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic in his final Gold Group match to advance.

"David is playing with unbelievable confidence and moving unbelievable -- just crazy," Nadal told reporters after losing to close friend Ferrer.

"No excuse. This is the toughest tournament of the year. Anything can happen. I didn't play a bad match. I played well. He played better."

Frenchman Richard Gasquet kept his hopes alive with a stylish 6-4 6-2 win over world number three Djokovic to level his round-robin record to 1-1.

Djokovic became the first player to be eliminated from the showcase eight-man tournament.

Nadal produced some astonishing recovery shots, including a no-look drop shot, where he scrambled to reach a stop-volley and dinked the ball across Ferrer while looking down the line.

RELENTLESS PRESSURE

After taking a first set punctuated by five breaks of serve, Nadal faltered late in the second, relentless pressure forcing him into a wild forehand to level the match.

Nadal, both knees taped after suffering from tendonitis coming into the tournament, had no answer to Ferrer's ferocious groundstrokes in the decider.

Ferrer, who beat Nadal in their previous meeting at this year's U.S. Open, closed out a marathon tussle after two hours and 40 minutes with a pummeling cross-court backhand.

"I was just happy to qualify for the Masters Cup," said Ferrer, joking that he only ever feels confident about beating Nadal when they play tennis on the PlayStation.

"Rafa is the best player in Spain's history. He's an unbelievable fighter. It's my first time in the Masters Cup and I was very nervous and I was cramping with the tension."

Gasquet's backhand, a shot Federer says is the best in the game, did most of the damage against Djokovic as the Frenchman breathed fresh life into his challenge.