Rafael Nadal trailed by a set and a break and was twice one point away from bowing out of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday afternoon. Instead, the King of Clay battled back to beat Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) after three hours and 27 minutes.
Nadal erased all of a 6-3, 3-0 deficit but still found himself behind on the scoreboard following an epic Shapovalov service hold at 5-5 in the third. The Spaniard held in similar fashion at 5-6 to stay alive, saving two match points in the process. In the ensuing tiebreaker, it was all Nadal.
“(In) these matches, you have nothing to lose,” Shapovalov explained. “I also think I have what it takes to beat these guys. It’s not a surprise to me; it’s just a tough loss. Of course, it’s not the first time Rafa’s done this. I’m not the first person to lose with match points. For sure, he does well with the pressure in those moments.”
“[It] is an important victory for me [to] be able to win matches like today, three hours and 27 [minutes], in the Barcelona final (vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas) three hours and 38 [minutes]–long matches,” Nadal noted. “To be able to win these kinds of matches against young players gives me confidence with my body. It’s true that I have to do things better for tomorrow. But the main thing today for me is [to] recover physically.”
Fortunately for the nine-time Rome champion, his quarterfinal opponent may also be running on some fumes.
Alexander Zverev, who ousted Nadal en route to the Madrid title last week, set up a rematch by overcoming Kei Nishikori 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 53 minutes. Zverev trailed 4-1 in the decider but reeled off five games in a row to clinch victory.
Nadal and Zverev are joined in the last eight in more improbable fashion by unseeded Lorenzo Sonego. The Italian continued his run in front of the home crowd–and yes, there were some fans in attendance on Thursday–by outlasting Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) in a dramatic nightcap. Sonego recovered from 5-3 down in the third to triumph in three hours and 24 minutes.
“It’s amazing, an unbelievably emotional moment for me because I’m in Rome, in my Italy, with fans for two sets (before curfew),” Sonego said. “I’m so happy for this victory, for this match. Thiem is with Nadal the best player on clay.”
nice one, Sonego
This has been a very interesting clay season with loads of players hitting form and beating the big names.Clay tennis used to be so predictable and
one dimensional .
Who’s going to win the French?