Business & Finance Club - Bangkok :  World No 1 Rafa Nadal suffered a surprise 2-6 7-6 6-3 semi-final defeat by unseeded Spanish compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the Thailand Open yesterday.

The US Open champion looked set to cruise into the final after a polished first-set performance but had no reply to Garcia-Lopez's thrilling fightback that led to a second-set tiebreak where Nadal's game started to unravel. The 53rd-ranked Garcia Lopez will face Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, who continued his impressive run with a 6-3 6-2 win over Germany's Benjamin Becker to reach his first final of the season.

Costly errors

Nadal had only himself to blame for squandering 24 of 26 break points and making costly errors in a scintillating final set. He lost he cool and handed the advantage to his opponent midway through the gruelling two-hour, 45-minute encounter.

Garcia-Lopez sought treatment for hip and back injuries after the first set but showed his resolve by keeping Nadal at bay and frustrating him with pinpoint forehands and precise drop shots.