Tennis: Nadal saves two match points to beat Shapovalov and reach Rome quarter-finals
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Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his third round match against Denis Shapovalov at Foro Italico, in Italy, on May 13, 2021.
PHOTO: REUTERS
ROME (AFP) - Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal rescued two match points to defeat Canada's Denis Shapovalov in a three-set battle and advance to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday (May 13).
The second seed advanced 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) after nearly 3hr 30min on court against his 13th-seeded opponent to set up a rematch with his Madrid Masters slayer Alexander Zverev.
The Spanish world No. 3 was trailing by a set and 0-3 down in the second set before powering back.
Shapovalov also broke for 3-1 in the third set but Nadal broke back immediately and held on despite two match points against him in the 12th game to force a tie-break.
The 34-year-old veteran reached his 16th last-eight appearance in Rome and a 97th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Madrid winner Zverev also survived a scare before the sixth seed got past Japan's Kei Nishikori 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in just under three hours.
Nadal, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, lost to the German in the Madrid quarter-finals last week.
"The main thing today for me is recover physically," said Nadal. "These kind of matches always are tough, tough to recover playing the next day. I don't have to hide that. That's the truth. But let's see."
Zverev, 24, was also apprehensive after a tough week on clay.
"I think last week and now this match for me is going to catch up tomorrow," he said. "At the end of the day, he's one of the biggest competitors in the world and I'm going to try to be one myself tomorrow."
