Nadal knocked out of Qatar Open

Rafael Nadal’s hopes of lifting the Qatar Open title are over after the world number one was surprisingly beaten 6-4 6-4 by France’s Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals in Doha.

Top seed Nadal had defeated Monfils easily in their three previous meetings but the exciting 22-year-old, who has risen to 13th in the world on the back of an impressive 2008, turned the tables with an excellent performance.