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Federer through to Doha final but Nadal loses

An ailing Rafael Nadal slumped out of the Qatar Open on Friday to deprive fans and organisers of an eagerly-anticipated final against great rival Roger Federer.

Federer kept his part of the bargain with a 6-3 7-6 defeat of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first semi-final at the Khalifa Tennis Centre but Nadal withered away after a bright start against Russian defending champion Nikolay Davydenko, losing 6-3 6-2.

It was an emphatic loss for the world number one, who was also beaten here last year by Davydenko, but he was clearly suffering, telling an on-court doctor he felt “terrible” during the second set.

From 1-2 down in the opening set, Davydenko turned the match around in stunning fashion with some pinpoint hitting.

Nadal lost eight consecutive games from 3-3 in the opening set but roused himself briefly to avoid his second 6-0 set of the tournament, snatching a break of serve before Davydenko closed out the victory.

Nadal, who has been suffering with a fever all week in the Qatari capital, showed guts to finish the match in the circumstances and will be keen to regain 100 per cent fitness before the Australian Open starts on Jan. 17.

Federer, who played second fiddle to Nadal for much of last year when the Spaniard won three of the four grand slam titles, was clinical during a one-hour-21-minute defeat of Tsonga.

The 16-times grand-slam champion produced an almost perfect serving display to keep the hard-hitting Frenchman at bay.

The Swiss, who clocked up 14 consecutive points on his service at one point and wrapped up victory with a smash, will be favourite to win the title for a third time when he faces Davydenko on Saturday.

Davydenko, however, recorded only his second victory over Federer in 16 attempts when he upset him at the semi-final stage in Doha last year before beating Nadal in the final.