Straight sets win sends Nadal into semi-final clash against Ljubicic

DEFENDING champion Rafael Nadal booked his place in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells with a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych.

World No3 Nadal has impressed on his return to action following a spell on the sidelines with a knee problem, and victory over the 19th-seeded Czech was another good test of his fitness with Berdych a formidable opponent.

Nadal faced seven break points in the match, saving all but two of them, as he registered a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in two hours and 11 minutes to tee up a last-four clash with big-hitting Ivan Ljubicic.

"It was a very good match," said Nadal. "I played really well, especially the first set. The first eight, nine games of the match was played at an unbelievable level.

"Later the wind came a little bit and it was more difficult to play. But anyway, we were still playing, keep playing at high a level, and this is very important. (It is] very good news for me to be in semi-finals."

Croatian Ljubicic faced only one break point in three sets as he completed a trademark big-serving win over Juan Monaco to reach the semis.

The Argentine, seeded 21st, made a bright start and, despite winning just eight points on the Ljubicic serve in the first set, managed to string enough together to earn a break of serve and take the set 6-4. But Ljubicic came back in style, winning 16 of 19 service points in the second set to prevail 6-2 and level the match.

And the 20th seed was just as dominant in the third, breaking twice more to complete a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 triumph in one hour and 47 minutes.

"The conditions suit my game perfectly," said Ljubicic.

"It's nice and dry. The ball goes through the air pretty quickly. The court is slow enough so I can return well, as well. It's just perfect. It's definitely the favourite place for me to play matches."

Meanwhile, Andy Murray believes the Lawn Tennis Association should consider an alternative to a big-name captain as they seek the next leader of Britain's Davis Cup team.

The Scot has played in just two of the last five Davis Cup matches, all of which Britain have lost to slump from a World Group standing to the current dismal position which sees them in danger of being relegated to the bottom rung of European tennis.

The LTA intend to gauge the views of the leading players before making an appointment following this week's resignation of former captain John Lloyd.

LTA player director Steven Martens will lead the search, making the appointment along with chief executive Roger Draper ahead of the relegation play-off with Turkey in July.

Greg Rusedski, the former US Open finalist and Davis Cup player, has been linked with the post, however 22-year-old Murray does not believe the biggest names should be automatic choices.

He said: "The one problem I've had with Davis Cup is that, since I can remember, the people mentioned as captains are ones who are either famous or the best players from a previous generation.

"That's not necessarily the way they do it in every country and I don't think it's the only way it can work. So, from my side, it might be nice to try something different. There are a lot of things that go into being a captain and you don't know how people are going to deal with certain situations – being in front of the press, a lot of pressure – so you've got to weigh all of those things up."

World No4 Murray, who was due to take on Robin Soderling last night in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, has not retired from playing in the Davis Cup and could come back on board under Lloyd's successor.