Tennis: Old rivals renew hostilities in final

Rafael Nadal. Photo / Getty Images

Rafael Nadal will resume his bitter rivalry with Robin Soderling after the giant-killing Swede stunned Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

Soderling recovered from a set and a break down to beat the top-ranked Federer for the first time in 13 meetings with a 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 triumph.

Nadal accounted for Spanish Davis Cup teammate Daved Ferrer 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in his first outing of the new year and next faces the only player ever to conquer him on the red dirt of Roland Garros.

The second-ranked Nadal was the four-time defending champion last year when Soderling ousted him in four sets in the fourth round.

Nadal, who also lost to Soderling at the ATP World Tour finals in London, gets his chance for revenge overnight.

"I'm very happy to be here in Abu Dhabi. It's the perfect place to prepare for Doha and the Australian Open," said Nadal, who heads for the Qatar Open next week before defending his Australian Open title in Melbourne.

"I feel OK. I had the best five months of my career at the start of 2009 and after that I had a few problems. But anyway I didn't have bad results - I lost in the semifinals in all the tournaments and made one final. It's impossible to be 100 per cent all the time."

Nadal is without an ATP final since May 2009 with his second half of the season badly-affected by knee tendinitis and a stomach strain.

Soderling achieved his first career win over Federer, having lost all previous 12 times they had met, including in the 2009 Roland Garros final.

"I've known Robin for a while and it was great to see his incredible run at the French Open," Federer said. "I think he's really picked it up and it's great to see.

"It was obviously hard starting the year against him in a rematch of Roland Garros. I had fun, though."

Meanwhile former Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is in doubt for the Australian Open after withdrawing from next week's lead-up event in Doha with a wrist injury.

The exciting Frenchman, who lost to the 2008 final at Melbourne Park to Novak Djokovic, was due to contest the Kooyong Classic exhibition the week before the Open, which starts on January 18.

Federer, Rafael Nadal and world No 7 Nikolay Davydenko are all scheduled to play Doha as they bid to lift the trophy won last year by Scot Andy Murray.

Murray has this season switched his opening-week focus to Perth and the Hopman Cup.

- Agencies