Nadal on Track for 10th Rome Masters Title

Rafael Nadal made it through to his 75th Masters 1000 semi-final by gaining revenge over Alexander Zverev to stay on track for his 10th Rome title.

The Spaniard needed nearly three-and-a-half hours to defeat Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Thursday, saving two match points, and backed it up brilliantly with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Zverev.
The German had won his last three meetings with Nadal, including in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open last week, but saw his opportunities consistently snuffed out.

“Today I played much better than yesterday,” said the second seed. “I did a lot of things well, playing much more solid. I think I played one of the more solid matches on clay this year against a very tough opponent. It’s a great victory for me.

Nadal next faces a surprise opponent in American Reilly Opelka, who is through to his first Masters semi-final after a 7-5 7-6 (7-2) victory over Federico Delbonis.