Andy Murray beats Rafa Nadal to reach final of Madrid Open

Scot won 7-5, 6-4 to continue impressive form

(Getty)

Andy Murray beat former world No 1 Rafael Nadal to reach the final of the Madrid Open for the second year in a row.

The Scot, currently ranked No 2 in the world, won the game 7-5, 6-4 to contunue his impressive form on clay ahead of the French Open.

The Scot fought off a strong challenge from the former world No1, serving eight aces and saving 11 break points to win a rematch of last year’s final at the Masters tournament.

Murray needs to successfully defend his title on Sunday to avoid losing the No2 ranking to Roger Federer. The top-ranked Novak Djokovic plays Kei Nishikori in the other semi-final.

Nadal had his chances but failed on the decisive points, falling short on his attempt to win a third consecutive title this season. It was Nadal’s first loss after 13 straight wins in 2016.

"It's easy after winning a tight first set to drop your intensity or your level and I really tried to stay on top at the beginning of the second and that was important," Murray said.

"Rafa doesn't serve as hard as everyone else but he puts a lot of pressure on your return because if you don't hit a good one he dictates the point straight away with the forehand. I was able to get some quite good direction on the returns and I think that helped me a lot today."

Nadal admitted Murray had deserved to win but said the defeat, which prevents the Spaniard from collecting a third successive ATP title after winning the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, would not affect his mentality ahead of the French Open later this month.

"I played aggressively and to win but he served really well," said Nadal. "In general he was a little better than me and I congratulate him for the victory because he was more effective in the crucial points.

"I've had a good week, reaching another semi-final in the Masters and demonstrated a high level of consistency," he added.

"I think I was good on a mental level, fighting and looking for solutions but it wasn't enough."

Additional reporting from Reuters