By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, May 6, 2016
Rafael Nadal subdued Joao Sousa, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, to set up marquee Madrid semifinal rematch with reigning champion Andy Murray.
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open
Practice partners in Mallorca will square off for a spot in the Madrid final tomorrow.
Rafael Nadal dropped a set for the first time since April.
Nadal dropped his forehand hammer to subdue Joao Sousa, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, and set up marquee Madrid semifinal rematch with Andy Murray, his former Xbox rival and sometime practice partner.
Reigning champion Murray won 22 of 24 points played on his first serve (91 percent) beating Tomas Berdych for the fourth time in a row, 6-3, 6-2, in today's first quarterfinal.
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The Nadal-Murray match is a rematch of the 2015 Madrid Open final, which Murray won 6-3, 6-2, and a reunion between former champions who practiced together in Mallorca for a couple of days last.
"We practice together a lot of times in our careers, and Mallorca don't give my special advantage practicing with him," Nadal said. "We know each other very well and we competed each against each other a lot of time. We practiced, too.
"Will be a tough match. In these kind of matches the player who play better will be the player going to have the success. We'll see tomorrow."
Continuing his quest for a fifth Madrid title and a 29th Masters championship, Nadal scored his 13th straight win today.
Surging through a seven-game tear at the start, a ruthless Nadal had Sousa countering off his back foot from the first ball. Sousa finally stalled his free-fall, holding in the second game of the second set.
A mid-match shower prompted a delay to close the roof and left the balls streaked and heavier.
"The worst thing of today was not playing indoors, not closing the roof. The problem was that it was raining and the ball got wet," Nadal said. "The clay was also wet and the balls, as I said, they were very heavy because they were wet.
"In the third set we changed balls, and well, the feelings changed. In the second set, apart from stopping for 20 minutes, that didn't help either, the ball was heavy. It was raining. I wasn't able to win the two break points that I had, and that's all."
Sousa broke for 5-4 on Nadal error a chance to serve for second set. Forcing Nadal into a stretched defensive reply, Sousa swooped in and ladled a backhand volley winner stealing the second set with a clenched fist.
It was the first time Nadal has dropped a set since the Monte Carlo final last month when he defeated Gael Monfils, 7-5, 5-7, 6-0, for his 28th Masters championship.
At times, Nadal left his backhand short in the court during the early stages of the decider. He hammered away with the hooking forehand on key points.
Cumulative pressure coaxed the decisive break. Serving down 3-4, Sousa could hear Nadal's footsteps as he danced around has backhand ready to attack a second serve with his forehand. Sousa spun a double-fault wide, apparently also distracted by a yell from a fan, as Nadal broke for 5-3.
The fifth seed finished with a forehand advancing to his 10th Madrid semifinal. Now he'll mix it up with Murray, who made him look defensive in the 2015 final.
"This year is completely different to the previous years," Nadal said. "I have different feelings. I don't know what can happen tomorrow. Every day is a different day and a different match."
Nadal has beaten Murray in eight of their nine clay-court clashes and owns a 17-6 advantage in their head-to-head series.
"Murray played really well today and has been during the whole week. It's going to be a very tough match. I'll try to give my best," Nadal said. "I have to give my best if I want to have options, and that's what I am going to do. I'm going to try. I cannot think of last year. It was is completely different year. Of course I hope that I don't repeat what happened last year. Everything is possible. Anything can happen."
The higher altitude of Madrid, combined with Nadal's waning confidence, aided Murray in the 2015 Madrid final. The flatter-hitting Scot used his backhand down the line effectively frequently forcing Nadal to counter off the back foot in last year's final.
The four-time champion suggested he'll apply more variation than he did today.
"I know that I'm playing against the second best player in the world and I think I have to give more," Nadal said. "I have options, and it may be more complicated here than Monte-Carlo because of the altitude. That can favor Murray's game more.
"From there on we'll see what I can do. I'll try to be 100%. It's a good opportunity for me to try to compete against one of the best players again."