Rafael Nadal suffered a 7-5 6-7 (6) 3-6 defeat against Australian Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International, failing to take three match points.
Nadal, 37, had been kept out of the sport for a year while recovering from a hip injury, but after comprehensive victories over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler earlier this week, he was unable to compete again against Thompson on Friday in a much closer competition.
The Spaniard suffered a medical timeout during the third set and visibly struggled to reach its conclusion.
Thompson will now face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-final on Saturday, the latter having eliminated Andy Murray earlier in the tournament.
Nadal lost in three sets to Australian player Thompson
“You helped me get through it. It was something special,” Thompson said after the game.
“To beat Rafa in Brisbane at home, I couldn't be happier. It's also my first semi-final on a hard court.
Nadal failed to convert a match point in the 10th game of the second set and two more in the tiebreaker before world number 55 Thompson rallied to win in three sets.
It was an encouraging comeback for Nadal after opening the tournament with two straight victories, but was pushed for 3 hours and 25 minutes in what was his third match in four nights.
Her energy level visibly diminished at the start of the third set. After Thompson broke in the fourth game and held a 4–1 lead, Nadal was assessed by the coach in the court chair, apparently for the upper part of his left leg, before losing the match.
Saturday's other semi-final sees top seed Holger Rune take on Roman Safiullin, with the match scheduled for 5am UK time. Sky Sports main event And Air Sports Arena.
Thompson will face Dimitrov from 10.30am, with the women's semi-finals in Brisbane also taking place on Saturday.
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Best of action from Elena Rybakina's match against Anastasia Potapova at the Brisbane International
Elena Rybakina takes on Linda Noskova at 3 a.m., with a clash between Grand Slam champions at 8:30 a.m. where Aryna Sabalenka takes on Victoria Azarenka. All matches are on Sky Sports main event And Air Sports Arena.
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