Nadal on course for number one ranking

Rafael Nadal beat Tommy Haas in the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati last night to edge closer to ending Roger Federer’s record run as world number one.

Defending champion Federer suffered another early exit, going down 7-6 (8/6) 4-6 7-6 (7/5) to Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, opening the door for Nadal to end his streak of 235 weeks atop the rankings if he wins the title.