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Unseeded Seppi beats Nadal
21/02/2008 19:28 - (SA)
Rotterdam - Rafael Nadal became the fourth straight seeded player to lose in the second round of the ABN Amro on Thursday.
Unseeded Andreas Seppi of Italy beat the second-ranked Spaniard 3-6 6-3 6-4. Nadal had been the last remaining seeded player in the draw.
Second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, No 3 David Ferrer and No 5 Tomas Berdych also lost on Thursday.
It is only the third time since 2000 that the quarter-finals of an ATP tournament has no seeded players. It last happened in 2006 in Nottingham, England and before that in 2002 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Nadal broke Seppi twice to take the opening set, but the Italian rebounded to win the second. Down two breaks in the third set, Nadal saved two match points in the eighth game and then broke on his fourth break point.
Ferrer smashed two rackets
The three-time French Open champion held serve at love in the next game, but Seppi closed out the match by holding at love on his 24th birthday.
Davydenko, who lost to Michael Llodra of France 6-3 7-5, received treatment for a shoulder injury in the second set.
Llodra converted all three of his break points as Davydenko capitalised on only one of eight.
Ferrer lost to Mischa Zverev of Germany 6-2, 7-5 and smashed two rackets in the process.
Zverev, who reached the quarter-finals for the third time, broke Ferrer twice in each set while only dropping serve once, in the second set.
Zverev will next play Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, who served 17 aces to beat Berdych 6-4 6-4.
- AP
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