Murray beats Nadal, reaches Madrid Open final again

Spain’s Rafael Nadal serves the ball to Andy Murray of Great Britain during their semi final match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament in Monaco, Saturday, April 16, 2016. AP

MADRID — Continuing to impress on clay ahead of the French Open, Andy Murray defeated Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday to reach his second straight Madrid Open final.

Murray fought off a strong challenge by Nadal, 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 No. 2 ranking to Roger Federer. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic plays No. 6 Kei Nishikori in the other semifinal on Saturday.

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.