A blockbuster quarterfinal on Friday in Basel will pit Rafael Nadal against Marin Cilic. A far more surprising showdown features fellow Americans Jack Sock and Donald Young.
(7) Marin Cilic vs. (3) Rafael Nadal
Nadal and Cilic will be squaring off for just the fourth time in their careers and for the first time in more than four years when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors Basel on Friday. Nadal is leading the head-to-head series 2-1 after cruising 6-1, 6-3 on the clay courts of Rome in 2011. They have split their two previous hard-court encounters with respective blowouts; Cilic dominated 6-1, 6-3 in the 2009 Beijing semifinals before Nadal coasted 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in round four of the 2011 Australian Open.
Despite a mostly disappointing season, Nadal qualified comfortably for the World Tour Finals. The seventh-ranked Spaniard is starting to post improved results, with a final in Beijing, a semifinal in Shanghai, and now a quarterfinal in Basel thanks to three-set wins over Lukas Rosol and Grigor Dimitrov.
Unless he gets an alternate spot, Cilic will not be returning to London–where he made his year-end championship debut in 2014. But that is mainly because a shoulder injury forced him to miss basically three full months of the season. At the moment, the 13th-ranked Croat is playing like a sure-fire top 10 player. He is 17-4 since the start of the U.S. Open and 6-0 in his last six matches, a stretch that includes a title last week in Moscow and straight-set Basel victories at the expense of Marco Chiudinelli and Teymuraz Gabashvili. Cilic has the prototypical game that can trouble Nadal: big serve, first-strike groundstrokes, and a flawless two-handed backhand. And unlike Rosol, he is consistent enough to execute his game-plan.
Pick: Cilic in 2
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Donald Young vs. Jack Sock
It’s not often that anyone–especially not an American–faces three consecutive Americans at a 32-man indoor event in Europe. But that is what Sock will do when he goes up against Young on Friday. The world No. 29 has already taken out countrymen Denis Kudla and John Isner, both in straight sets. A red-hot Sock is an outstanding 34-16 for the season and coming off a runner-up showing last week in Stockholm.
Surprisingly, this is only the second career meeting between Sock and Young, and first at the ATP level. They previously collided at the 2013 Winnetka Challenger, where Sock prevailed 6-3, 6-4. Also back on the rise just like his opponent, Young registers at 49th in the world thanks in part to an improbably dramatic run to the U.S. Open fourth round. The 26-year-old has advanced this week with victories over Henri Laaksonen and Kevin Anderson. This should be high-quality affair with both men extremely confident right now, but an edge goes to Sock based on superior firepower.
Pick: Sock in 3
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Ooo la la! Rafa breaks!
Vamos!
Can you believe it? Rafa breaks Cilic in the first game of the third set!
I need nadal bautista and fed and I hit a ten team parlay!! Should I buy cigars now or too early
The cigars but send a couple over to me. I’ve just smoked a whole pack of ciggies with all the tension and the shops are shut.
I dont even smoke its for show
Get the electronic one to tide you between packs of ciggies. 🙂
15-15
Rafa holds and it’s 2-0. You can do this, Rafa!
One more break will do it Rafa.
Vamos!
LOL. Ricky has to pick Rafa over Fed anywhere anytime on Sunday.
#Excited
#NoLife
Rafa has reached 78% first serves with 71% points won.
first is good, second is bad
why is 71% points won on first serve bad?
That was a cruel netcord that gave Cilic the point. In the end it didn’t matter. He has to serve to stay in the match.
Cilic does not stand a cat in hell’s chance of beating Rafa let alone in straight sets.
Good last game to close out the match, Vamos Rafa!
Hah! What did I say! For all the grief I have taken here, I was the one who said – it ain’t over until it’s over. I was with Rafa all the way!
Rafa in 3 sets! Congratulations to me!
Way to go, champ! Rafa is in the semifinals! 🙂
I believed in you, Rafa!
NNY: I posted this response higher up on the thread which you must have missed.
BTW NNY you’ve changed your tune. Earlier you said ‘ Somehow I can’t see Cilic not getting it done here.’ 😉
Haha. Epic.
C’est moi. LOL.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSl58AEUsAE9bAu.png
🙂 🙂
Yea !!! Just need federer ml to win two grand baby
Tenngranders will have to charter a plane to gatecrash the celebration party if you clean up on your parlay.
Three down! Yay!
http://www.funny-emoticons.com/smileys/msn-dancing-smileys/disco%20dance.gif
Rafans. Raise your glasses and give three cheers.
A round of sangria for Rafans.
Vamos!
(ed251137 at 8:36 pm),
http://www.funny-emoticons.com/emoticons/msn-smiley-emoticons/cheer-with-you.gif
Now Fed has to come out and play. Good, I can sit back and watch without a care!
I kept thinking to myself, if Rafa can just find a way to get through this match, he’s got a great chance against Gasquet in the semis!
This is just unbelievable!
No one can say Rafa had an easy draw here! But he’s been up to the test!
I was forgetting he plays Gasquet next. Well their h2h is 13-1 and that was a retirement by Rafa back in 2003 on the Challenger circuit.
Rafa keeps to be moving steady, gaining confidence slowly, it would be great if he competes on Sunday, and even greater if he beats Roger. I’m sure Roger would still not like to play Rafa even if Rafa is not in top form!! Vamos, Rafa, one game at a time!
Federer hasnt been great this week either
Cilic mixed some awesome shots hitting the lines with some ridiculous shanks.
Rafa still needs fixing his winners to UEs ratio.
Yes, a few too many UEs, but he says he is trying things out for next season so they may take some bedding in.
Cilic had 49 UE’s! Rafa with 26. He was missing a lot in the first set and a half, but got it together in that third set.
I am still on cloud nine over this victory! 🙂
I am raising my glass and giving Rafa three cheers’
Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!
Rafa is trying to be more aggressive, so there will be more UE’s. As long as he’s going for his shots and staying closer to the baseline, I can live with the UE’s. He will get that sorted out.
What a week this has been for Rafa! All big serving guys!
Rafa was so happy at the end of that match. He couldn’t contain his joy!
I am just trying to savor this moment. 🙂
Interesting that Annacone thinks Rafa was just average in this match and that it was an accomplishment to beat the #12 player not being at his best. I think he gave Rafa a grade of “C” for this match. I don’t care! I’ll take it because Rafa is going in the right direction.