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Nadal finally beats Blake

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating James Blake of the US during the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, on Thursday. PHOTO: EPA

Defending champion Rafael Nadal beat James Blake for the first time in their four meetings to move into the Pacific Life Open semi-finals on Thursday.

Nadal finished off a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over his US opponent with an ace, then sank to his knees and thrust his arms skyward.

He had finally taken the upper hand in the tight match when he broke Blake's service for a 5-3 lead in the third set.

The Spaniard, ranked No. 2 behind Roger Federer, then served out without losing another point.

The ninth-ranked Blake had beaten Nadal in the US Open in 2005, then defeated him twice in 2006, including the semi-finals in Indian Wells.

Federer, on the other side of the bracket, was to play Tommy Haas in a quarter-finals showdown yesterday.

Nadal said that ending Blake's streak against him wasn't the big thing, but "the thing is being in the semi-finals and beating two big players like [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga and Blake. It was two very important matches."

He added, "Right now, I have had a very good tournament."

The 28-year-old Blake complimented Nadal, who at 21 has a long list of tour accomplishments.

"He's No. 2 in the world for a reason, and he did make his presence felt out there," Blake said. "I didn't do enough to hurt him on the big points."

Nadal will face Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in today's semi-final. Federer, on the other side of the bracket, was to play Tommy Haas in one quarter-finals match yesterday, with Mardy Fish going against David Nalbandian in the other.

Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, both 20-year-old Serbs who have joined the ranks of tennis' elite, won matches in straight sets to move into the semi-finals.

Djokovic defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (5), 6-2 to advance in the men's tournament, and No. 2 Ivanovic beat Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-4 on the women's side.

Two-time champion Lindsay Davenport had to retire from her match against Jelena Jankovic after the first set because of a back problem. Jankovic, also from Serbia, won the set 6-2.

Davenport, who has had back trouble in the past, said she thought lingering tightness might go away while she was playing.

"It was pretty obvious to me after two games that I was pretty sore, and it was hard to rotate," she said. "I tried to do the best I could. But sometimes these things happen, and when you're familiar with an injury, you kind of know right away what you're up against."

Davenport hopes the problem will clear up quickly so she can play at Miami in the tournament that begins next week.

"We'll just have to see what the next few days bring," she said.

No. 3 Djokovic, down 6-5 in the opening set, broke Wawrinka's serve to set up the tiebreaker. Then, when Wawrinka was unable to return his volley for the final point of the tiebreaker, Djokovic celebrated by dropping to his knees, yelling in glee and pounding his chest with both hands.

"I'm a very emotional player on the court and very emotional person off the court as well," said Djokovic, also known for his wry sense of humor. "As you could see by the reaction, it was one of the -- not one of the, probably the most important point of the match."

It proved a turning point, as he went on to take clear control in the second set.

Djokovic defeated Tsonga in the Australian Open after upsetting No. 1 Roger Federer in the semis. It was Djokovic's first Grand Slam title and the first time since 2005 when someone other than Federer or Rafael Nadal had won a men's Grand Slam tournament.

Ivanovic, the tournament's top seed, got off to a quick start against Zvonareva, taking just some 10 minutes to win the first four games against her Russian opponent.

"She beat me a few times quite easy, so I knew I had to be active and sharp from the first moment on to put pressure on her," said Ivanovic, who had split four previous matches against Zvonareva.

Ivanovic, who lost to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final, was to face Jankovic in one semi-final yesterday, with the other pitting Russians Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The women's and men's finals are tomorrow.
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