Rafael Nadal is out of the French Open, eliminated for the first time since 2009. A run of dominance ended Wednesday for the king of clay.
Nine times a champion at Roland Garros in 10 years, Nadal lost to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, 6-1.
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Next for Djokovic: a semifinal clash with Andy Murray. In a late quarterfinal, Murray defeated Spain's David Ferrer 7-6 (4), 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
After winning their Tuesday quarterfinals, France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka set their semifinal match. They meet Friday, when Tsonga tries to become the first Frenchman in the final since Henri Leconte in 1988. The most recent French winner: Yannick Noah in 1983.
Nadal saved five set points before surrendering the first set. He looked overpowered in the second set, winning points while making Nadal labor. Result: Nadal made too many errors to overcome. And in the third, Nadal was dominated.
With Wednesday's victory, Djokovic advanced to the men's semifinals.
Nadal finally won a game after losing the first four in the third set, but observers could see he was out of hope.
"Nadal is like a wounded animal waiting to be put out of its misery. His only chance now is if Djokovic gets tired. No chance of that," according to the BBC.
"It is no longer a matter of if Nadal will lose. It's a more a question of when. And at this rate it is going to be over very soon."
It was.
Djokovic produced stunning shots throughout the match on Court Philippe Chatrier. Nadal's previous nine titles at Roland Garros could not keep Djokovic from a 27th successive win.