Nadal defeats Murray, advances to the ATP Finals semifinals.

The Spanish player defeated the second seed, while David Ferrer lost to Stan Wawrinka, giving Nadal a place in the semi-finals.

Nadal regained his confidence and form at the final tournament of the year. Photo: Reuters.

Old values ​​are on the rise at this year's ATP World Tour Finals, at least after the first two rounds. Roger Federer easily defeated the younger and fitter world number one, Novak Djokovic, yesterday. On the evening of November 18th, it was the turn of former "king of clay" Rafael Nadal to give world number two Andy Murray a taste of defeat.

The match ended after 92 minutes with scores of 6-4, 6-1, a complete dominance by the fifth seed. Murray also had one of his worst matches of the year: poor serving, passive play, and constant errors.

Nadal has already won two matches against Stan Wawrinka and Murray. In the remaining match on November 18th, Wawrinka defeated Ferrer, giving Nadal the ticket to the semi-finals. In the final match, Nadal will face his compatriot David Ferrer. The 29-year-old is guaranteed to finish first in Group Ilie Natashe and will most likely meet Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

"Nadal is clearly playing much better than he did a few months ago," Murray commented. "He has more control and more points. Nadal's returns are getting heavier and heavier. I think he's really in top form today. He's controlling the ball with his forehand so well, almost hitting it accurately from every angle, which is making it difficult for me to move around."

Murray gets a haircut during the match. Photo: AFP.

The match was exciting from the start, with both players breaking each other's serve in the first game. In the following games, focus returned, but Nadal still appeared to be the more dominant player. The fifth seed played very confidently, creating numerous break points. On his seventh break point in game 10, Nadal finally overcame Murray.

Nadal's relentless topspin and precise shots made it difficult for Murray to defend. The Scottish player showed signs of fatigue despite the support of the home crowd. Murray made many unforced errors (29 unforced errors, four double faults) and was broken in the first service game of the second set. Nadal secured another break, quickly winning the second set 6-1.

"My serve was terrible today, probably the worst it's been all year. In the first set, my serve percentage was around 40 percent, and in the second set around 35 percent. That's not good enough against an opponent like Nadal," the Scottish player said.

Murray will compete against Stan Wawrinka for the remaining semi-final spot in a match on November 20th.

According to VNE