Top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal slumped out of the ATP Rio Open on Saturday, losing his semi-final to Italian Fabio Fognini in three sets.
Fognini, who had lost his four previous meetings with the 14-time grand slam champion, won 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 to advance to a Sunday final against Spaniard David Ferrer.
Second seed Ferrer reached the trophy match with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer.
Nadal, who only came off court at 3:30 am after his overnight quarter-final win over Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, was visibly fatigued, allowing his early momentum to slip as he crashed out after 2hr 17 min.
“I am very pleased as I played the best in the world on this surface,” said 28th-ranked Fognini, seeded four at the event whose inaugural edition Nadal won last year.
That success was a building block early in a clay season which would culminate in a ninth Roland Garros title, but a series of injuries thereafter hampered Nadal.
The Mallorcan came to Brazil on the back of a poor start to the year after a first round exit in Qatar and a quarter-final loss at the Australian Open.
Nadal was furious after he was forced into a late night start Friday with all four quarter-finals played on center court and all going the distance.
Fognini’s last eight meeting with Argentine Federico Delbonis lasted more than three hours before the Australian Open doubles champion alongside compatriot Simone Bolelli emerged a 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 winner.
It was the Italian’s fatigue which showed early on as Nadal blitzed him in the opening set. And an early break in the second looked as if the titleholder would emerge victorious.
Instead, a double fault allowed Fognini a toe hold. He threw that one away in missing a simple volley but thereafter the momentum swung inexorably his way with a trio if breaks seeing the Italian level matters.
Nadal tried to dig his way out of trouble in the decider as, trying to avoid a first loss in 21 matches in Brazil, he began to run out of juice as Fognini took the honors on his third match point.
Next week’s ATP event in Buenos Aires will offer a chance of some redemption as Nadal looks to find his top form in time for more glory in France come early June.
Ferrer twice dropped serve against Haider-Maurer in a tight opener on center court at the swish Rio Jockey Club but the Spaniard moved through the gears to break in the 11th game and then motored through the second set.
