Shock defeat for Nadal

French Open champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Artois Championships after he was beaten in straight sets by Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

Mahut, ranked 106th in the world, had also defeated fifth seed Ivan Ljubicic earlier in the day and stunned the Queen's crowd by claiming a 7-5 7-6 (7-0) last-eight win over the Spanish top seed to set up a semi-final with his compatriot and 14th seed Arnaud Clement.

Before this tournament, Mahut had not been beyond the last 16 in any competition this season, and his shock win puts a serious dent in world number two Nadal's preparations for Wimbledon.

Despite having played two sets earlier, Mahut looked confident from the beginning, showing a composure and a maturity which made a mockery of his status as a rank outsider.

The 25-year-old knows how to play on grass as he won the junior title at Wimbledon in 2000, and he matched Nadal stroke for stroke throughout the first set.

In the 12th game of the opener, Mahut raced into a 40-0 lead on the Spaniard's serve, and he converted the second of his three break points to move into the lead.

The Queen's crowd expected fireworks from Nadal in the second set, and, with the score at 5-5, Mahut had to save four break points to keep his nose in front.

But when the second set entered the tie-break, Mahut was inspired, reeling off seven straight points to send Nadal out of the tournament.