Miami  - Rafael Nadal eagerly hopped the first available flight back to Europe on Friday after what the Spaniard admits was a brutal, tiring month of March in the US.

The world number 1 lifted a title at Indian Wells over Andy Murray but followed up at Crandon Park with a quarter-final shock at the Miami Masters.

The clay master from Mallorca was hoping to clear his head and rest his body over the weekend before plunging into training next week on his home island prior to the start of the Monte Carlo Masters starting next Easter Sunday.

Miami  - Desperate Rafael Nadal saved two of three match points with aces but couldn't hold off the momentum of hard-charging Argentine Juan Del Potro, taking a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) defeat Thursday in the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters.

The three-hour epic handed Del Potro his first victory over Spain's number 1 after three previous defeats. The youngster had not won a single set in the series before stepping onto court in front of an overwhelmingly Latin crowd in South Florida.

Miami  - Teenager Victoria Azarenka reinforced this week's move into the Top 10 as she reached her third final of the season with a marathon 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 defeat of former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Masters on Thursday.

The 19-year-old, Arizona-based Azarenka spent nearly three hours and needed four match points to finally book her spot. She awaits the result of the clash later between sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who between them hold eight titles at their home event.

Miami  - Teenager Victoria Azarenka reinforced this week's first-ever move into the Top 10 as she reached her first major final with a marathon 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 defeat of former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Masters on Thursday.

The 19-year-old, Arizona-based Azarenka spent nearly three hours and needed four match points to finally book her spot. She awaits the result of the clash later between sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who between them hold eight titles at their "home" event.

Milan  - It's back to business in tennis for formerly banned Filippo Volandri after the Italian earned moral revenge as his three-month doping sanction was reversed on appeal.

The one-time number 25 clay-courter copped a three-month ban in January for a proscribed substance used in his asthma inhaler. But Volandri's lawyers successfully argued their case and got an overturn of the penalty by the international court of sports (CAS) in Lausanne.

London  - Malmo has been banned from hosting a Davis Cup tie until 2014 after the Davis Cup Committee came down hard on the Swedish city following last month's closed-door tie lost to Israel.

City officials had ordered the tie be played without spectators due to mass protests against the Israeli bombing campaign against Gaza in January in which more than
1,200 died, mainly civilians.

The plan backfired as Israel took the victory over Sweden, 3-2.