Federer Is Inspired, but Nadal Gets the Victory MASON, Ohio - In the 31st edition of their storied rivalry, it was again Rafael Nadal who had the answers, even with Roger Federer turning in one of his most inspired efforts of the season. Nadal defeated Federer, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open in this Cincinnati suburb, improving his record against his longtime rival to 21-10. Federer dictated throughout much of the first half of the match, hitting winners off his forehand and backhand early in rallies. But serving at 4-5 in the second set, momentum seemed to fly away from Federer's racket with a forehand shank that he sent into the railing of the upper deck on the opposite end of the court. Nadal broke soon after to claim the second set, then broke again in Federer's first service game of the third set, a run of domination that included nine straight points. Because of the loss, Federer, the defending champion here, will see his ranking drop to No. 7 from No. 5, the lowest it has been since 2002. Despite the impending dip in his ranking, Federer focused on the positives. "I'm happy with my progress along the way," Federer said. Could have won tonight? Should have won tonight? Who knows? But at the end, I think Rafa's confidence and the way he's playing at the moment got him through. So for me, I think it was a good step in the right direction. Although he has played sparingly on hardcourts, Nadal has dominated on the surface this year, compiling a 14-0 record. He will play No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the semifinals Saturday, after Berdych upset second-seeded Andy Murray, the reigning Wimbledon and United States Open champion, 6-3, 6-4. Earlier Friday, John Isner defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-5, finally converting a break point on his 10th opportunity of the match to seal the upset. Isner said that while he was overmatched, his big game allowed for surprises. He's the No. 1 player in the world," Isner said. Simply put, he's a better tennis player than me. He just is. His record proves that. But on any given day, as I said before, I think I can beat anyone, and that was the case today. Isner's victory come in a week when American men's tennis needed a boost more than ever. This is the first week in the 40-year history of the ATP rankings when not a single American man is ranked inside the top 20. Isner, ranked 22nd, will move up to at least No. 18 in next week's rankings with his run to the semifinal. If he wins his semifinal Saturday afternoon against No. 7 Juan Martín del Potro, he would move up to No. If he manages to win the final, he would move up to No. Djokovic admitted the loss was disappointing because of what was at stake for him. With a title in Cincinnati, he would have become the first player to have won the singles title at all nine Masters events on the ATP Tour. "I just played a very bad match over all," Djokovic said. Terrible match. In the women's event, top-ranked Serena Williams notched her 14th straight victory with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Simona Halep of Romania. She will face No. 5 Li Na in the semifinal, after Li received a walkover in the quarterfinals when Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew from the tournament to return to Poland for her grandfather's funeral.