By Caroline Cheese
BBC Sport at the O2 Arena
World number two Rafael Nadal’s title hopes ended after a 6-1 7-6 (7-4) defeat by Nikolay Davydenko at the ATP World Tour Finals.
The six-times Grand Slam champion looked like he might go out with a whimper when he was blown away by an inspired Davydenko in the opening set.
But he showed all his famous fighting spirit in a gripping second set, twice recovering from a break down against a nervy opponent to take it to a tie-break.
However, Davydenko found his nerve in the end, sealing victory with a rasping forehand after one hour and 47 minutes.
Last year’s beaten finalist Davydenko could join Robin Soderling in the semi-finals if he beats the Swede on Friday, leaving Nadal and Novak Djokovic to lick their wounds.
Davydenko’s form against Nadal was exceptional in the first set, despite the majority of a lively crowd lending their support to the former Wimbledon champion.
606: DEBATE
“Davydenko will need to up his game to stand a chance of making the semi-finals”
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Having recovered from deuce in his opening service game, the world number seven raced into a 3-0 lead, dominating the rallies from the back of the court and showing some sublime touch at the net.
Nadal shook his head disconsolately when a double fault helped Davydenko break for the second time and the Russian ended the set as he had begun it: with an ace.
The crowd, while still willing Nadal on, could not fail to be impressed by Davydenko’s bold attack.
The Russian continued to dominate in the early stages of the second set, and looked set for a routine win when he broke for a 3-2 lead.
Davydenko, though, faltered dramatically as the prospect of a shock victory loomed larger - and Nadal’s unrivalled will to win came to the fore.
With the Russian’s forehand fading, Nadal earned five chances to break back - and took a sixth when Davydenko went long, the world number two crouching to his knees to celebrate and pumping his fist repeatedly.
The momentum appeared to have shifted decisively to the Spaniard when he took a 5-4 lead, but the doubts that have plagued his game in recent weeks returned.
He produced a final flourish when he broke back for a second time to force a tie-break, but he could find no further inspiration, Davydenko claiming it and sending the Spaniard out.
In the doubles, second seeds Bob and Mike Bryan got their campaign back on track with a 6-3 6-4 win over Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes.
The American pair lost their opening match against Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram, but were always in control against the Czech/Indian duo.