15. Champ Novak falls, Nadal survives scare to reach Toronto Masters semi-finals

TORONTO: Defending champion Novak Djokovic lost to Andy Murray in the Toronto Masters quarter-finals but Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal survived a scare to advance on Friday. Nadal, in his first tournament since his epic five-set win over Roger Federer at Wimbledon, was pushed by Frenchman Richard Gasquet before rallying to claim a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory. The Spaniard will face Murray for a place in today’s final after the eighth-seeded Briton shocked Djokovic 6-3, 7-6. The other semi-final will pit in-form Frenchman Gilles Simon against German journeyman Nicolas Kiefer. Simon, who shocked Federer in the second round, continued his magical hardcourt campaign, outlasting Croatian Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 while Kiefer, seeking his first title in eight years, demolished seventh-seeded American James Blake 6-1, 6-2. Gasquet, who... [read full story]