ATP Madrid: Rafael Nadal improves his game to dismiss Frances Tiafoe
World no. 2 two and the four-time Caja Magica champion Rafael Nadal is through to his seventh straight Madrid quarter-final and the 89th at Masters 1000 series overall, beating the young gun Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 32 minutes. The 51st win in Madrid and 371st at Masters 1000 level for Rafa came after a rock-solid performance on serve, dropping ten points behind the initial shot and facing the only break point he experienced to send the pressure to Frances' side of the court. The young American couldn't do much against Nadal in the quarter-final at the Australian Open in January and he had to lay the weapons down tonight as well, losing 40% of the points in his games and getting broken twice from four chances given to Rafa.
Unlike in Barcelona and Monte Carlo, Nadal moved better and also tamed his shots more efficiently, finishing on 17 winners and 16 unforced errors. The more experienced player had the upper hand in the quickest, mid-range and most extended rallies to control the pace and sail towards the finish line, setting a thrilling quarter-final clash against Stan Wawrinka on Friday. Rafa needed 16 minutes to claim the lead, breaking Frances in the fourth game and staying in front until game nine when he forced an error from the American for a 6-3 after 38 minutes.
Home favorite repelled a break point in the fourth game of the second set with a volley winner, blasting a forehand crosscourt winner in the next game to gain the break and huge momentum. Nadal lost just three points on serve in the last three service games, coming from 30-0 down in game ten to grab four straight points and seal the deal with a service winner that propelled him into the last eight.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2WztNBC
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