Doha: A pumped-up Rafael Nadal qualified for the semi-finals of the Qatar Open yesterday, battling to a three-set victory over Andrey Kuznetsov in the match of the tournament so far.


Rafael Nadal during his quarter-final match in Doha yesterday. Pic/AFP

Nadal won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in just over two hours and was made to work for his victory by the Russian, ranked number 79 in the world, in a contest which delighted the centre court crowd in Doha.