Rafael Nadal stunned by Dominic Thiem at Madrid Open as Roger Federer regains World No 1 ranking

The 24-year-old Thiem broke Madrid title holder Nadal's serve five times before sealing victory in just under two hours

Friday 11 May 2018 14:06 EDT
Comments
The Spaniard's long winning run on clay has finally been ended
The Spaniard's long winning run on clay has finally been ended (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Rafa Nadal suffered a shock 7-5 6-3 defeat by Austrian Dominic Thiem in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Friday, a result that means the Spaniard will lose the world number one ranking.

Thiem, who lost to Nadal in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals last month, was the last player to beat the Spaniard on clay - at last year's Rome Masters.

Nadal had set a record of winning 50 consecutive sets on a single surface by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Thiem broke Madrid title holder Nadal's serve five times before sealing victory with a powerful cross-court winner in just under two hours.

The Austrian, seeded fifth, will face South African Kevin Anderson in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in