Rafael Nadal broke his first real test at Roland Carros this year, beating 19-year-old Janick Sinner 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-1 to set the Roland Carros semifinals record for the 13th time. After a tumultuous day with five matches planned at the Court Philippe-Chatterjee, the 1.26am finish marked the latest night at Roland Carros.
Although Chinner’s name has been circulating in tennis circles for some time, his inexperience is still evident. The meeting marked his sixth match against a top 10 opponent and his first match against the big three members. Although most young players usually have the opportunity to test their strength first against an elite in small events or in the early rounds of a slam match, Sinner was immediately invited to Natalie’s arena.
In early exchanges, Chinner’s inexperience translated into fearlessness and he proved to be a clean, violent bowler who quickly propelled him towards the pinnacle of the game. Nadal was the one who put the pressure on the service as he confidently led his own service games. Sinner’s initial intensity eventually provided the deepest first serve in the opening set, with Chinner serving the set 6-5.
But Chinner learned that courage can sometimes be foolish. As Nadal began to explore his backhand division with a series of deep, heavy forehands, a series of suffocating cross-court transfers from Chinner’s backhand to Nadal’s forehand continued as both players worked on the strength of the other.
Sinner seemed determined to show Nadal that he was not afraid of Forehand, but he fed it several times, and he paid for it because he played Nadal’s greatest strength as a rhythm. Nadal finished the game with two searing down-line forehand. After breaking the service, he picked up the first set on the tiebreak.
A positive sign from Chinner was how quickly he recovered for the first set, taking a 3-1 lead early in the second. However, Nadal responded immediately, tying the score at 3-3 and eventually beating him again at 4-4. The third set ended with little resistance, with Nadal Breaking winning the service three times. After competing in her 100th match at Roland Garros, Nadal’s record is now 98-2.
“Chinner is a very young talent with a lot of power, great shots,” Nadal said. “The conditions here were a little difficult because he hit every ball so hard, it was hard for me. The ball, with this court, did not spin. For me, it was difficult to get him out of the post.
“In the third set I think, I did it very well, and I was very aggressive. That was the only way. So, I’m very happy to be back in the semifinals at Roland Cros. This is undoubtedly the most important place and the most beautiful place for me.
Later, Natalie was asked about the late finish. Cold, windy conditions are particularly dangerous, he said.
“Of course, this is not a great finish, a match at 1.30am. But the problem is the weather மையாக Honestly, playing tennis is so cool, isn’t it? I know football players play under these conditions, but it’s a little different. They all move. We stop, we come back, we stop making changes. It’s a game, you stop a lot of moments, don’t you? I think playing with these heavy conditions is a little risky. ”
Nadal moves face to face Diego Swartzman in the semifinals, A review of their Rome quarterfinals, in which Schwartzman broke Nadal’s serve five times, winning 6-2, 7-5.
“Of course, [it] A challenge, ”Nadal said. “When you lose to someone, it’s because he plays well. Today he played in an amazing match against one of the best players in the world [Dominic Thiem], No doubt, especially on this surface. He comes with great confidence, doesn’t he? Two weeks in a row … he’s in the final in Rome and he’s in the semifinals here. He hit me there. It’s a plus for him. I know.”
Earlier, 19-year-old Iga Swedech backed Simona Halep to a 6-3, 6-1 set victory over Martina Travis, who fell 1-3 in 11 of the last 12 games of the tournament. In the semifinals Swedech will face another qualified Nadia Podoroska After beating No. 3 seed Elena Svitolina.
“I knew I wasn’t going to play right like Simona,” Swedek said. “At my level, it’s not possible to have that consistency. I knew I was going to make some mistakes in the beginning because of the conditions. I was very positive from the ground up. I wanted to be aggressive from the beginning so I could lead the court. I did it well.”
“Introvert. Avid gamer. Wannabe beer advocate. Subtly charming zombie junkie. Social media trailblazer. Web scholar.”