Nadal number one despite defeat

Rafael Nadal has been guaranteed the world number one spot at the end of the year despite his defeat by Gilles Simon in the Madrid Masters semi-final. The Spaniard went down 3-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6) to the Frenchman but is assured of top spot after Roger Federer lost the other semi-final to Andy Murray. Simon matched Nadal shot for shot in a match lasting nearly three-and-a-half hours before stunning the Spanish fans. He trailed 4-2 in the final set and 5-3 in the tie-break before fighting back. The Frenchman clinched victory after a Nadal return was ruled long by the Hawk-Eye linecalling system.
The result keeps Simon in the running for a place at the end-of-season Masters Cup in Shanghai.