It was the unseeded player who had a much easier time advancing to the Basel second round, but both Rafael Nadal and Grigor Dimitrov managed to set up a blockbuster encounter on Wednesday. A place in the quarterfinals is at stake.
Rafael Nadal and Grigor Dimitrov will be facing each other for the seventh time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Swiss Indoors Basel on Wednesday night.
Nadal is sweeping the head-to-head series 6-0, including 3-0 on hard courts. Only their first-ever meeting came indoors, with the Spaniard surviving 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 at the 2009 Rotterdam event. Dimitrov took a set in each of their first four encounters, but Nadal blitzed through the last two. The current world No. 7 cruised 6-2, 6-2 last year in the Rome semifinals and 6-3, 6-4 earlier this season in the Madrid quarters.
This showdown came perilously close to being denied by none other than Lukas Rosol. The big-hitting Czech stormed out of the gates against Nadal on Monday and served for a straight-set win. Leading 6-1, 5-4, 30-0, however, Rosol cracked at the finish line and Nadal eventually prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) after two hours and 16 minutes.
“It was a very tough match emotionally,” Basel’s No. 3 said after scraping past Rosol in what was a predictably contentious battle. “At the same time, it’s a great victory. It’s important for me to have these kinds of comebacks. I’ve been in these situations more times than I would like this year, so I’m happy to win a match like this.”
Nadal may be in the midst of a disappointing year overall, but he is a solid 9-2 since the U.S. Open.
Not unlike his opponent, Dimitrov will take a win any way he can get it these days. The 28th-ranked Bulgarian pocketed a refreshingly routine one on Tuesday, easing past Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 6-4 without facing a single break point. Dimitrov is 31-20 for what has been a rough 2015 campaign and he is a similarly mediocre 5-4 since the start of the U.S. Open.
Although the former world No. 8 is far more dynamic and overall better player than Rosol, he cannot trouble Nadal in the same way. Rosol blasted Nadal off the court for a set–and almost two–on Monday, just as he had done for three out of five sets at Wimbledon in 2012. Dimitrov has never been able to do so and his current form suggests nothing will change in this one.
With a match under his belt, Nadal should raise his level considerably and defeat Dimitrov for a seventh straight time.
Pick: Nadal in 2
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One more! Come on!
Nadal with 2 bps he misses the first but converts on the 2nd and he has a 5-3 lead to serve for the match.
Thank God!
Now Rafa, serve it out!
some pressure as Nadal drops the first point on serve, he wins the next with a good serve to make it 15 all, a forehand long by Nadal and Dimitrov has a look at 15-30 a long rally goes to Nadal but Dimitrov has a bp, Nadal saves it with a forehand, Dimitrov has a 2nd Bp Nadal saves it with an overhead now Badal has a match point and he wins.
Nadal wins 6-4 4-6 6-3.
Hard fought win for Nadal but in the end he was the better player.
Finally! Now I can go have some dinner!
Rafa wins! YAY!
What a match. Rafa starting behind in every set and gets the win.
Vamos!
26 winners 41 errors for Dimitrov Nadal with 16 winners and 28 errors.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSb2WjpUcAAeOjo.png
🙂 🙂
Nadal to meet the winner of Cilic/Gabashvili match in the QF.
It wasn’t pretty, but Rafa still got it done.
A combined total of 69 errors in this one.
Rafa won 13/14 net points! Unreal! Converting 5 out of 8 break chances.
Serve stats looking good.
I thought Rafa really brought it in that third set when he needed it most.
Rafa moves on! 🙂
Two down! Yippee!
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/happy/jumping-jacks-smiley-emoticon.gif
The job’s done! Ugh!
https://twitter.com/Rafameila/status/659489523773018112
Dimitrov didn’t play badly, he has improved lately but Rafa was just too good for him. Even though Rafa helped him by dropping his serve 4 times Dimi just didn’t have enough to beat Rafa.
U.G.LY.
This Rafa gonna have to find ways to improve if he’s gonna be the favorite against this Fed on this indoor court let alone anywhere anytime.
Rafa’s lucky dimi was even uglier.
He may have turned the corner but he hasn’t hit the stretch just yet. Not by a loong shot.
We gonna see no?
he wont play Fed
That’s my point.
If Rafa had really turned the corner, he wouldn’t be underdog to Cilic (let alone Fed).
Rafa’s on-court interview / R2 Basel 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjknA7B6NOg
Diimitrov played HORRIBLY broken five times with 41 UEs.
Rafa was ever so slightly less horrible (just lower case) broken four times with 28 UEs.
Do people really think this Rafa is favourite against this Fed on any court anytime let alone on a fast indoor court?
yes
It was a rhetorical question however I’ve noticed that your degree of confidence is directly proportional to how wrong you end up being.
Without a doubt.
Ha how did dimitrov find a way to lose that?
Dimi is an anemic 8-7 in has last best of three. He hasn’t beaten a Top 30 player in over five months.
That’s how.
And Rafa just barely beat him.
I prefer to think that Rafa found a way to win. It’s true that this was an ugly match. But winning ugly is also what it’s all about. Players aren’t always at their best and indoor hard courts have been challenging for Rafa. That’s why I think these wins are so important. If it’s tough, so what! As long as Rafa gets the win. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time that he gets an ugly win,
Again I say, this is a match that Rafa would have lost a few months ago. So it’s still progress.
He won’t get an ugly win against Cilic.
Well we will have to see about that.
Actually, you’re probably right.
Cilic hasn’t beaten a Top 10 player in over a year.
Rafa can get an ugly win!
nativenewyorker7 says:
October 29, 2015 at 12:17 am
THIS is what is most important!
“Again I say, this is a match that Rafa would have lost a few months ago. So it’s still progress.”
Absolutely!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4l32kl4wnI