Article: French open champ nadal downed by rank outsider French Open champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Artois championships last night, beaten in straight sets by Nicolas Mahut.

French Open champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Artois championships last night, beaten in straight sets by Nicolas Mahut.

Frenchman 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.

Nadal's defeat was the biggest shock on a day of surprises, as Ljubicic, third seed Fernando Gonzalez ...

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