Nadal dodges Dimitrov bullet in last-eight win
Source: AFP |
April 20, 2013, Saturday
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BULGARIAN Grigor Dimitrov flirted with a massive upset before Rafael Nadal managed to restore normal service as the Spaniard earned a tight 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco yesterday.
Nadal, bidding for an unprecedented ninth straight trophy at an event which he has dominated, was given a huge fright by Dimitrov, who fell victim to leg cramps in the closing moments of a thriller lasting just over two hours.
One of the closest calls of Nadal's clay career ended as the Spaniard won his 45th straight Monte Carlo match. He lost a set here for only the third time since 2009.
Dimitrov, feeling his left thigh, managed to save a Nadal match-point with a rifling winner down the line which left him doubled over in pain. A few moments later, Nadal fired over his second ace of a dramatic afternoon to take the win.
Nadal, whose only loss here came back in 2003, produced some 36 unforced errors while the 34th-ranked Dimitrov struck 28 winners.
Third seed Nadal will now have to prepare for a semifinal against confident Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who advanced against Stanislas Wawrinka, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Wawrinka, the 13th seed who eliminated second seed Andy Murray in the previous round, saved four match points - three on his own serve in the penultimate game - before Tsonga bulldozed to victory in just over two hours on the clay.
Tsonga ended with his sixth ace in a match where he fended off 10 Wawrinka break points from 12 chances for the Swiss.
And he will now gather his strength for his match against Nadal today.
"It's an incredible challenge, he's won eight times here. Anything I might achieve will be just a bonus for me," said Tsonga.
Tsonga is one of two French players still in contention, with seventh seed and 2005 semifinalist Richard Gasquet playing against Italian Fabio Fognini later in the day.
Nadal, bidding for an unprecedented ninth straight trophy at an event which he has dominated, was given a huge fright by Dimitrov, who fell victim to leg cramps in the closing moments of a thriller lasting just over two hours.
One of the closest calls of Nadal's clay career ended as the Spaniard won his 45th straight Monte Carlo match. He lost a set here for only the third time since 2009.
Dimitrov, feeling his left thigh, managed to save a Nadal match-point with a rifling winner down the line which left him doubled over in pain. A few moments later, Nadal fired over his second ace of a dramatic afternoon to take the win.
Nadal, whose only loss here came back in 2003, produced some 36 unforced errors while the 34th-ranked Dimitrov struck 28 winners.
Third seed Nadal will now have to prepare for a semifinal against confident Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who advanced against Stanislas Wawrinka, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Wawrinka, the 13th seed who eliminated second seed Andy Murray in the previous round, saved four match points - three on his own serve in the penultimate game - before Tsonga bulldozed to victory in just over two hours on the clay.
Tsonga ended with his sixth ace in a match where he fended off 10 Wawrinka break points from 12 chances for the Swiss.
And he will now gather his strength for his match against Nadal today.
"It's an incredible challenge, he's won eight times here. Anything I might achieve will be just a bonus for me," said Tsonga.
Tsonga is one of two French players still in contention, with seventh seed and 2005 semifinalist Richard Gasquet playing against Italian Fabio Fognini later in the day.
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