Tennis: Nadal ousts Zverev to advance to Rome semi-finals, will face Opelka
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Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning his tennis match in Rome, on May 14, 2021.
PHOTO: AFP
ROME (AFP) - Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal dispatched his Madrid Masters slayer Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Italian Open semi-finals on Friday (May 14).
The second-seeded world No. 3 had lost to the German in the Madrid last eight last week.
But the 34-year-old Spaniard shook off his marathon 3hr 30min quarter-final battle past Denis Shapovalov where he needed to save two match points.
Nadal powered to a 4-0 lead before sixth seed Zverev held serve with the 20-time Grand Slam winner saving break point to take the first set.
The German rallied in the second set but Nadal saved eight break points to seal victory on his first match point after two hours.
Nadal plays American Reilly Opelka for a place in the final for an 11th time as he warms up for the French Open, which he has won 13 times, starting on May 30.
Opelka, ranked 47th, reached his first Masters semi-final with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) win over Argentinian qualifier Federico Delbonis.
It was his fourth victory of the week without dropping a set
"I'm surprised, clay's not really my thing, not an American thing, it's probably just a fluke," said the player from Michigan.
"I've served well especially at big moments, that's been key, I stayed calm," continued Opelka, who has hit nearly 80 aces this week in the Foro Italico.
"I've made some adjustments on my serve recently and it has paid off."
Opelka, who arrived in Rome on a six-match losing streak, has been on the comeback after a slump in form having suffered from Covid-19 earlier this year.
"I'd only played one tournament on clay. I had Covid. I wish I could use that as an excuse, but I just didn't play well."
In the women's draw, former Rome champion Karolina Pliskova rallied from a set down to advance to the semi-finals.
The ninth-seeded Czech, winner in 2019 and runner-up last year, battled past Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) and will meet Croatia's Petra Martic for a place in the final.
Martic, ranked 25, ended the run of American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-4. Pegula had dispatched second seed Naomi Osaka of Japan on her way to her fourth quarter-final this season.
