by Adi Nair
BENGALURU, India (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal defeated new world number one Daniil Medvedev 6/3 and 6/3 to reach the final of the Australian Open at the Acapulco Open.
Medvedev had to defend a few breakpoints in his first serve game before Nadal opened it 3-1 minutes later, holding the lead until closing the first set at 6/3.
It looked like Nadal had kept the momentum for the second set, breaking early to start 1-0, but Medvedev as the sets progressed and his short left hand caused all kinds of problems for the Spaniard. started doing
Medvedev scored a total of 11 breakpoints in Nadal’s two service games in the second set, but the Australian Open champion confirmed the serve on both occasions and rejected the Russian attempt at recovery.
A confirmation of Nadal’s serve under pressure took Medvedev’s breath away, and the Russian broke again, with a backhand error giving Nadal the victory and setting up a showdown against UK No. 1 Cameron Norie in the final. ,
“Daniel was playing very aggressively in the second set, with tricks and winning balls,” Nadal, who won Acapulco three times, said in an on-court interview.
“It was really tough. I think I was a little lucky to win that set because he had so many chances. To win against the world No. 1 is amazing and it’s great to be in the final.”
“Nori has improved a lot this year. We are in the final of the 500 level tournament in Acapulco, so you can’t expect an easy opponent. It will be a challenge, but I am looking forward to it.”
Copyright © Thomson Reuters.
