Djokovic, Nadal reach final again
Source: Agencies |
April 21, 2013, Sunday
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EIGHT-TIME defending champion Rafael Nadal recorded his 46th consecutive win at the Monte Carlo Masters by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (3) yesterday to set up a repeat of last year's final against top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard has now reached five straight finals since returning from a seven-month layoff following a left knee injury. He will go for his fourth title of the season against Djokovic, who easily beat the unseeded Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-2, 6-1. The Serb showed no signs his right ankle is still bothering him, two weeks after twisting it on Davis Cup duty against the United States.
Djokovic and Nadal have not played against each other since last year's French Open final, which Nadal won. He has won their last three encounters, after Djokovic took the previous seven - all of which were tournament finals. Nadal leads their head-to-head contests 19-14.
The sixth-seeded Tsonga saved four match points as he rallied back from 1-5 down to force a second-set tiebreaker, which was evenly poised at 3-3 before Tsonga started making unforced errors again by hurrying his shots.
Nadal clinched the victory with a forehand winner and took a step closer to a ninth straight Monte Carlo title and to extending his Masters titles record to 23.
Tsonga started brightly but missed three breakpoint chances in the fourth game - including one which left him shaking his head in disbelief after Nadal scooped the ball off his ankles and whipped it back down the line.
"He was extremely good today, and this is also what I call the champion's luck," Tsonga said. "The top players are able to do that."
The Spaniard has now reached five straight finals since returning from a seven-month layoff following a left knee injury. He will go for his fourth title of the season against Djokovic, who easily beat the unseeded Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-2, 6-1. The Serb showed no signs his right ankle is still bothering him, two weeks after twisting it on Davis Cup duty against the United States.
Djokovic and Nadal have not played against each other since last year's French Open final, which Nadal won. He has won their last three encounters, after Djokovic took the previous seven - all of which were tournament finals. Nadal leads their head-to-head contests 19-14.
The sixth-seeded Tsonga saved four match points as he rallied back from 1-5 down to force a second-set tiebreaker, which was evenly poised at 3-3 before Tsonga started making unforced errors again by hurrying his shots.
Nadal clinched the victory with a forehand winner and took a step closer to a ninth straight Monte Carlo title and to extending his Masters titles record to 23.
Tsonga started brightly but missed three breakpoint chances in the fourth game - including one which left him shaking his head in disbelief after Nadal scooped the ball off his ankles and whipped it back down the line.
"He was extremely good today, and this is also what I call the champion's luck," Tsonga said. "The top players are able to do that."
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