Rafael Nadal will look to continue his devastating form in New York when he takes on good friend Diego Schwartzman in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Wednesday. The winner will face either Gael Monfils or Matteo Berrettini.
This is a more interesting matchup than the 7-0 head-to-head would suggest. Diego Schwartzman, the crafty Argentine, took a couple of sets from Nadal last year in Melbourne and Paris. Schwartzman seems to be able to put up some resistance to the heavy Nadal forehand, but eventually the Spaniard wears him down. Hence the 7-0 record in favor of the world No. 2.
Schwartzman and Nadal had similar paths to the quarterfinals. The Argentine, who is ranked No. 21 in the world, cruised along in straight sets until he ran into Alexander Zverev in the fourth round. The struggling German managed to take a set before going down in four. Similarly, Nadal breezed through his first three matches but dropped a set to 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in the round of 16.
Nadal not only has a formidable record over Schwartzman, but the Argentine will also face a Nadal in good form. The world No. 2 was a bit lackluster in the second set against Cilic, but he was inspired in the third and looked downright dangerous in the fourth set. Schwartzman, who played a slumping Zverev who seems to be suffering the service yips, had a more routine win.
The improved Nadal serve and his heavy topspin forehand are likely to continue to give Schwartzman difficulty. The No. 20 seed is 5’7″, which means that Nadal’s forehand jumps up to around shoulder height. It’s a recipe for wearing Schwartzman down that is likely to be effective as long as topspin continues to be a part of Nadal’s game. Schwartzman is a good player and he has proven that he can challenge Nadal, but in the end the Spaniard is likely playing too well to be picked off at this stage of the tournament.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 3
Ricky pick: Nadal in 3
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I’ve had problems posting comments here. They just disappear into thin air but I solved it by switching my router on and off.
Nadline, last night I was about to file a missing person’s report for you, lol!!. I was like where is Nadline?!! Glad to see you’re back!
I kept trying to comment but my posts disappeared into thin air so I called my helpline yesterday and they asked me to switch my router off then switch it back on again and like magic it worked.
I did take a break from commenting on all forums after Rafa lost to Fed at Wimbledon because I was gutted ;). I still haven’t got over it. 😉
How is the weather Friday night n Sunday noon 430 pm for final regarding humidity .vmk1 and Atul since you both stay there .the weather sites somehow give different versions
Today is all rain. Roof’s gonna be closed. Sunday is expected to be great. The worst weather was during the QF match. I was coming back home from work and it was so muggy. Glad that’s behind us
Rain is better than humid conditions.
Yes, that was truly an amazing match. But Sampras was involved in a few more thrillers. I remember that he almost single handedly won the Davis Cup for the US against an extremely strong Russian team in Moscow. The Russians had chosen an indoor clay court in order to neutralize Sampras, and they even drenched the clay surface with water before the matches in order to slow down the conditions even more. Agassi was hurt and couldn’t play. Therefore Sampras decided to play singles and doubles. Sampras won the first match against Kafelnikov, who was a top five player and an excellent clay court player. He also was a future FO champion. But Sampras managed to beat him in front of a hostile crowd in a thrilling five setter and had to be carried with cramps from the court after the match. But the very next day he played the doubles with Todd Martin and they managed to beat the very good Russian team. Since the other American players had lost their singles, Sampras needed to win the deciding fifth match on Sunday, and he did! I was very glad that the Americans won because the Russians had been totally unfair. But it was Sampras alone who rose to the occasion.
So, the guy could definitely play on clay, although the FO eluded him forever. Later in his career he seemed to have lost faith in himself whenever he stepped onto a clay court.
While we are waiting for the semis, I like to remember a few old matches. There has been good tennis before the Big Three and there will still be tennis after the Big Three😊
Yes, that was truly an amazing match. But Sampras was involved in a few more thrillers. I remember that he almost single handedly won the Davis Cup for the US against an extremely strong Russian team in Moscow. The Russians had chosen an indoor clay court in order to neutralize Sampras, and they even drenched the clay surface with water before the matches in order to slow down the conditions even more. Agassi was hurt and couldn’t play. Therefore Sampras decided to play singles and doubles. Sampras won the first match against Kafelnikov, who was a top five player and an excellent clay court player. He also was a future FO champion. But Sampras managed to beat him in front of a hostile crowd in a thrilling five setter and had to be carried with cramps from the court after the match. But the very next day he played the doubles with Todd Martin and they managed to beat the very good Russian team. Since the other American players had lost their singles, Sampras needed to win the deciding fifth match on Sunday, and he did! I was very glad that the Americans won because the Russians had been totally unfair. But it was Sampras alone who rose to the occasion.
So, the guy could definitely play on clay, although the FO eluded him forever. Later in his career he seemed to have lost faith in himself whenever he stepped onto a clay court.
While we are waiting for the semis, I like to remember a few old matches. There has been good tennis before the Big Three and there will still be tennis after the Big Three😊