Both players showing some signs of nerves, with an early exchange of service breaks and a couple of DFs in the process. But apart from that Davydenko has picked up where he left off yesterday. Meanwhile Nadal has already nearly made as many UEs as he had during the entire match against Djokovic; he's also playing far too defensively, and against one of the few players on tour who can probably keep up with him from the baseline.

That said it was a good hold for the Spaniard out of a tight situation, and it goes to 2-all.

Nadal breaks to love, but it wasn't nearly as simple as it sounds. Quite a thrilling net exchange in there in which the Russian holds his own but Nadal wins the point. Davydenko looks disgusted with himself, for someone who is not given to displaying any emotions at all. 3-2 Nadal.

Comfortable holds for both men, but it's still Nadal with the break up 4-3. A real mental battle out there in some epic rallies.

No weapons breaks back. This is the best match of the tournament so far.

Nadal digs himself a 15-40 hole with some loose points. Davydenko flubs the first break chance but a forehand error (one of several already seemingly) from Nadal gives him the second, and the Russian pulls even for 4-all.

This is looking like a tight contest.

Didn't see this-was posting in the wrong place!!

Davydenko has been hitting well-but I doubt it will last. I don't think he can mix it up enough to attack Nadal. His shots are coming in a bit short now...

and Nadal comfortably breaks the russian.

Its looks like a runaway train now.

6-4, 6-2 to set up a fascinating contest tomorrow.

It's Davydenko's turn to get into trouble with some tentative play. He saves one break point from 15-40 but poor judgement at net gives Nadal the easy passing shot for the Spaniard to go up a break again.

He'll serve for the first set 5-4.

This is not the best I've seen Nadal play this tournament. Davydenko needs to capitalise on this and win the 2nd set.

That said, am still rooting for Rafa - just want someone to really take the game to him!

Nadal is afraid of his own shadow. With a DF and a forehand inexplicably into the net, he has no margin for error when Davydenko pins him well behind the baseline and is broken to love.

5-all.

Rafa is just not killing short shots.

I've got to say Davydenko is playing really, really well: he seems to be able to counteract Nadals top spin.

Interesting.

Is Nadal having an off day, or does Davydenko's game inherently have the ingredients to give him trouble? Increased number of unforced errors may mean that Nadal has to go for his shots more than usual, if he cannot rely on Davydenko making the error.

In any case, Kolya's got to be in this for the long haul. Even if he *does* win the first set (doesn't look impossible now at 6-5, though he could still lose it in the tie-break), Rafa is not going to simply go away.

Nadal needs to figure out that (unbelievably) he just can't out-rally the Russian. He needs to create opportunities to come forward more and finish points sooner, and for heaven's sake cut down on the errors.

Nadal serving to force the tiebreaker. 5-6.

Davydenko letting the ball get high and let the first two points of the game slip past him...

Advantage Davydenko - set point!!

Awful volley from Davydenko sees Nadal take it to a tie-break for the set.

Nadal faces the first set point against him of the clay season (from being up 40-love...!). By rights it was the Russian's after a terrible drop shot from the Spaniard but his weak defensive volley ability costs him not just one but two points.

Nadal survives and it goes into a tiebreaker 6-all.

Nadal just upping his effort, Davydenko's forehand looking vulnerable...

Nadal leads tie break 3-0

The pressure tells on the Russian more than Nadal, who draws confidence from Davydenko's errors and starts to swing more freely. He takes a commanding lead of 5-1 in the tiebreaker and will serve to make it five set points.

the set goes to Nadal - I think that could signal the game is over...

Davydenko wins his two points on serve, and there is a confusing moment as Nadal gets a foot fault called on him belatedly (?). He recovers with a good serve that the Russian can't return, and after quite a scare comes away with the first set 7-6(3).

The Russian isn't going anywhere just yet. Nadal's opening service game of the second set goes to deuce.

From 40-15, Nadal is broken thanks to a series of head-shaking errors. He gets an easy overhead chance to save break point, but decides to plop the ball right at Davydenko's feet. The Russian obligingly whips it past the Spaniard and breaks for the fourth time to get an early lead 1-0 in the second.

There are two ways that Davydenko could respond to losing the first set despite holding set point. He could get frustrated and go away, or see it as a sign of hope that he can still turn this around.

It seems like it might be the latter, as he breaks Nadal in the first game of the second. Don't expect this match to be over soon.

Nadal gets a couple of break points and makes good on one. 1-all.

Neither player can consistently keep the ball in the court or clear of the net, but really due to the intensity of their rallies. Quite a battle of attrition out there. Gonzalez must be tempted to ring home and have space cleared in his trophy case.

15-40 on Nadal's serve, with some inspired Davydenko winners. When will the Spaniard figure out he's only winning maybe a third of these rallies?

Davydenko lets Nadal off the hook somehow. He's really creating some killer angles out there, on top of returning virtually everything the Spaniard can hurl at him. The only thing keeping this competitive is that he's also prone to error, as he demonstrates with two consecutive points into the net that let Nadal hold for 2-1.

Davydenko responds with a comfortable hold to 15 on the back of some strong serving and point construction. It's a real pressure cooker. 2-all.

To think these two (who have never met on clay prior) could have been hashing out an RG final in 2005.

Nadal turns up the temperature with his own emphatic hold to love. He seems to finally be putting more mustard on his groundstrokes; both men are playing less tentatively now and painting the lines.

3-2 on serve.

The Russian appears to have dug his own grave with a DF for 15-30. But Nadal generously throws in two more forehand errors. Things get tense at deuce but Davydenko dictates the next two points authoritatively and holds for 3-all.

The eight-game threshold set by Federer has been broken!

Nadal scrapes out of deuce to go up 4-3, courtesy of a pair of very near misses from the suddenly ruthless Davydenko forehand.

He'll definitely have to apply the pressure on the Russian at this critical juncture.

An abruptly-fatigued looking Russian falters, and Nadal converts a second break point from deuce.

The Spaniard will serve for his third consecutive Rome final at 5-3.

The Russian is eager to make amends even as the Spaniard gets tight, and Nadal is again broken as he tries to serve out a set. To love. Davydenko pulls back from the brink 4-5.

The finish line is in sight for Nadal on the back of a seemingly disastrous DF from Davydenko for 0-30, but the Russian heroically takes the next six of seven points to extend the match 5-all. Unbelievable.

:blink:

blimey, you have to hand it to Davy for not just folding there...

Frustration turns into catastrophe as Nadal allows himself to be broken to 30. The suddenly-rejuvenated Russian will serve to force a decider 6-5. It looks grim.

My hat is taken off to Davydenko, and I am eating words after berating him all week for having no visible weapons. He's taking the game to Nadal-a player called unbeatable on this surface-and hitting a really impressive amount of winners.

I still think (and hope!) Rafa will win this, but seriously impressive play from Kolya!

It's Nadal's turn to play hero with some unearthly defence and unreal winners, and he breaks to 15 to force the tiebreaker.

You can't make this stuff up.

Wow! This is impressive from Davydenko. Didn't think he had it in him to push Nadal on clay....

Davydenko needs to come into the net more...

tie break 3-2 to Davydenko (with an extremely lucky shot!)

Insane drop shot at full scramble from Davydenko which actually spins back into the court to catch the line gives him the first mini-break, which Nadal then takes back for 3-all.

Frame shot from Nadal and the Russian goes to 4-3 as it goes back to the Spaniard's serve.