LONDON — Rafa Nadal cut world number two Andy Murray down to size with an impressive 6-4 6-1 victory at the ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday which provided further evidence of the Spaniard's return to his former powers.
A distracted Murray, who bizarrely clipped his fringe with a pair of scissors during one changeover early on, capitulated, but only after Nadal had softened him up with the kind of ferocious hitting that earned him 14 grand slam titles.
Ripping forehands to all corners of the court and moving smoothly, the 29-year-old dominated throughout and is all but sure of a place in the semi-finals of the tournament.