Intro:

Rafael Nadal has lost on clay for the fifth time this season with a 7-6 (7), 6-2 defeat to eighth-seeded Stan Wawrinka in the Italian Open quarterfinals on Friday (15 May).

Script:

Rafael Nadal's frustrating start to the clay court season continued in Rome on Friday, when he crashed out of the Italian Open losing to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.

It was the first meeting between the two players since the 2014 Australian Open final when Wawrinka clinched his first Grand Slam title.

In a tight first set, the players traded early breaks and carried that trend all the way to a decisive tie break.

Nadal took a commanding 6-2 lead but was reeled back in with the eighth seed fending off four set points before clinching it 7-6(7) after an incredible 75 minutes on court.

The third game in the second set proved to be crucial.

Spanning a lengthy seven minutes, Wawrinka eventually seized the break to lead the set 2-1.

He pushed on from there showing plenty of composure to save four break points when serving at 4-1.

Nadal fought to hold serve in the sixth game of the set, but squandered another break opportunity in the next game, with the Swiss player taking an emphatic 7-6 (7), 6-2 win.

He will now face compatriot and former world number one Roger Federer in the semi-final.

For Nadal, it was a fifth loss of the season on clay .

The last time Nadal lost five games on his favourite surface was 12 years ago - his first season on the professional tour.