Top four seeds set up semi-final clash in Toronto

Top seed Rafael Nadal won 10 points in a row to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber and reached the semi-final against Murray.

TORONTO: Top seed Rafael Nadal won 10 points in a row to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the semi-final against Andy Murray at the Toronto Masters.

A single break was enough to give Kohlschreiber the opening set, but Nadal upped his game in the next, dominating on his own serve and on the German’s second and making one of his two break points count.

Murray’s impressive performance ended the 11-match win streak of David Nalbandian with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Murray had lost his previous two matches against Nalbandian, who won last week’s Washington trophy for his first ATP crown in 19 months.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer orchestrated a fightback from 2-5 down in the final set to rescue a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Tomas Berdych.

The third-seeded Swiss had lost twice this season to the Czech Republic’s seventh seed Berdych, in Miami and in a Wimbledon quarter-final six weeks ago. He next faces Serbian world number two Novak Djokovic, who defeated Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-3.

Clijsters, Sharapova reach Cincinnati last-four

Reigning US Open champion Kim Clijsters, former world number one Ana Ivanovic and Russian Maria Sharapova reached the WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals with straight-set triumphs.

Belgian fourth seed Clijsters, ousted Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, to book a semi-final date with Ivanovic who dominated without facing a break point in a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over 114th-ranked qualifier Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, Russian star Sharapova eliminated France’s Marion Bartoli 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-final against Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. It was the ninth match triumph in a row for the Russian.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2010.