MASON, Ohio — It used to be that Rafael Nadal crashing out of a tournament in an early round caused the biggest headlines in tennis. But in a year in which he has consistently fallen short of the high standard he has set for himself, each subsequent loss seems less and less newsworthy.
The latest came Thursday evening at the Western & Southern Open outside Cincinnati, with eighth-ranked Nadal falling, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3), to a fellow Spaniard, 23rd-ranked Feliciano López.
The third-round loss nullified the prospect of a 34th meeting between Nadal and third-ranked Roger Federer, which would have occurred here in the quarterfinals.