Rafael Nadal is back to bullish best in Madrid defeat of Tomas Berdych

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/09/rafael-nadal-back-best-madrid-defeat-tomas-berdych

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Rafael Nadal is smiling again – which is just as well for him two weeks before the French Open, where he now has realistic ambitions of a ninth coronation.

Whatever it was that was troubling him in back-to-back defeats on his favourite surface coming into this tournament, in Monte Carlo and last week in Barcelona, the cloud lifted on Friday, and it was Tomas Berdych's misfortune to be trapped in front of the Spanish bull for an hour and a half. Nadal, moving with his familiar fluency across the dirt, played power tennis near a personal zenith to dispatch Berdych 6-4, 6-2.

"No doubt Rafa is the greatest clay court player," Berdych tweeted, as well he might after his 17th straight loss to him, putting Nadal alongside Ivan Lendl as the game's biggest bully of one opponent, the Czech's patsy being Tim Mayotte.

Perhaps Nadal had heard the news that Novak Djokovic was determined to be in the draw for the Rome Masters on Monday and the competitive juices began to flow more freely. Or maybe he is just human.

Djokovic withdrew from the Madrid Open to do more rehab on his injured wrist, but fully fit he would be the main threat to Nadal at Roland Garros, although both have struggled intermittently this year.

In the last four Nadal plays his unseeded compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut, who looked good in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Santiago Giraldo, the Colombian qualifier who could not find another big game after his win over Andy Murray on Thursday.

Earlier Maria Sharapova and the second seed, Li Na, two of the toughest fighters on the circuit, played what might have been the best women's match of the year, albeit one littered with unforced errors. The Russian looked gone when a set a down but forced a tie-break and went on to win 2-6, 7-6 (5) 6-3. She plays Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi-finals on Saturday. The elegant Pole beat Caroline Garcia 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

On the other side of the draw, the defending champion, Serena Williams, withdrew before her quarter-final against Petra Kvitova with a thigh strain but reckons she will be fit to play in Rome. Kvitova plays the fourth seed Simona Halep in the other semi-final.

The Romanian, who had an emergent season in 2013, came from 0-2 to win six games in a row against Ana Ivanovic and take the first set with some blistering tennis. They traded breaks at the start of the second but Halep found another gear to wrap it up 6-2, 6-2. She will be tough to beat in this form.