Rafael Nadal on Friday ended a run of three straight losses to Alexander Zverev with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over the German to reach the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semis.
Zverev beat Nadal in straight sets at the same stage in Madrid a week ago and their latest meeting was also one-sided.
Nadal raced to 4-0 in the first set and saved all eight break points he faced in the second.
Photo: AFP
“I played more solid than Madrid. Conditions are different,” Nadal said, alluding to the fact that the high-altitude of the Spanish capital allowed Zverev to dominate more with his serve. “Here are little bit more normal conditions. I was able to control a little bit more.”
Nadal, aiming for a record-extending 10th Rome title, next faces big-serving American Reilly Opelka, who reached his first Masters semi-finals by edging Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis 7-5, 7-6 (7/2).
In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Ash Barty retired from her rainy quarter-final against 17-year-old American Coco Gauff while leading 6-4, 2-1 due to an injury to her right arm.
Photo: AP
Gauff’s opponent in her first clay-court semi-final is to be French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who beat two-time Rome champion Elina Svitolina 6-2, 7-5 in their quarter.
In the other half of the draw, 2019 Rome champion Karolina Pliskova rallied past 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) and faces Petra Martic, who eliminated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-4.
OLYMPICS QUESTION
Meanwhile, Roger Federer on Friday called on Olympics organizers to end the uncertainty around the Tokyo Games.
The Olympics are set to run from July 23 to Aug. 8 after being postponed in March last year over the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Japan has extended until the end of this month a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to think. I’m a bit between the two,” said Federer, who won a doubles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games and a silver in the singles four years later in London.
“I would love to play in the Olympics, win a medal for Switzerland,” he told Swiss television station Leman Bleu. “It would make me especially proud, but if it doesn’t happen because of the situation, I would be the first to understand.”
“I think what the athletes need is a decision: Is it going to happen or is it not going to happen?” he said.
“At the moment, we have the impression that it will happen. We know it’s a fluid situation and you can also decide as an athlete if you want to go,” he said. “If you feel there’s a lot of resistance, maybe it’s better not to go. I don’t know.”
PETITION
A petition calling for the cancellation of the rescheduled Games garnered 350,000 signatures in nine days and was submitted to organizers on Friday, raising new questions about whether the Olympics should go ahead.
Nadal, who is tied with Federer at 20 for the most Grand Slam singles titles in men’s tennis, and 23-times Grand Slam winner Serena Williams this week said that they were still unsure of competing in Tokyo.
Japan’s top-ranked women’s and men’s tennis players — Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori — also added their voice to the concerns, saying the risks of holding the Olympics amid the pandemic should continue to be carefully discussed.
Federer, a father of four, said he had taken the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’m glad that I could do it, with all the traveling I do,” said Federer, who is to play the Geneva Open next week, his second tournament since returning in March after a year out due to knee problems.
“Even if I’m staying in Switzerland, I think there are advantages” to getting the jab, he said. “Above all, I did it for others, because I don’t want to give it [COVID-19] to anyone else, even if I still remain very careful.”
“We’re very careful with the family and with our friends,” he
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