ATP US Open: Rafael Nadal halts Diego Schwartzman after titanic battle
World no. 2 and three-time US Open champion Rafael Nadal had to dig deep on the Arthur Ashe Stadium against Diego Schwartzman, scoring a 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 victory in two hours and 46 minutes that carries him into the eighth US Open semi-final, the third in a row. This is the 33rd Major semi-final for the Spaniard overall, the seventh consecutive since Roland Garros 2017 in what has been his best Grand Slam streak despite turning 33 in June. Nadal grabbed the eighth victory over Diego in as many matches but it took a lot from him to emerge at the top, battling with an inspired rival and the humidity to prevail in straight sets and book the semi-final meeting with Matteo Berrettini on Friday, standing as the strong favorite in that one as well. The Spaniard played on a high level in the first three encounters here in New York, heading into this clash after two almost perfect sets versus a former champion Marin Cilic although it was a completely different encounter today, with Schwartzman giving his best to trouble the mighty opponent just as he did at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
Rafa had 35 winners and 39 unforced errors, struggling to find an open space or impose the forehand that let him down on many occasions, fending off six out of ten break chances to reduce the deficit and hope for as many opportunities on the return. They had to came against Diego who lost almost half of the points behind the initial shot, giving serve away seven times after spraying nearly 40 unforced errors, staying on less than 30 winners and having to settle with the quarter-final run. It was a grueling battle right from the start, with Nadal making a strong start that pushed him 4-0 up before Schwartzman climbed back, finding his range and taking 17 of the next 21 points to level the score at 4-4 and create two more break chances in game nine that could have sent him in front. With no room for errors, Nadal repelled both and grabbed a break in the next game for a 6-4 in just under an hour when Diego netted a straightforward backhand.
Rafa was the player to beat in the first six games of the second set, playing better than in the opener and forging a 5-1 lead with breaks in games four and six, looking good to bring it home in no time at all and move closer to the finish line. Instead of that, Schwartzman fought back to secure breaks in games seven and nine, melting the deficit and prolonging the set before Rafa held with an ace to move 6-5 up and stole the rival's serve in game 12 for a 7-5 after almost 70 minutes! Nadal lost just five points on serve in the third set and Diego couldn't follow that pace, giving serve away in game six after a forced error and propelling Rafa into the semi-final with another break in game eight.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2NSSLdF
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