By Alberto Amalfi | Thursday, March 2, 2017
Rafael Nadal rallied from a break down in both sets beating Yoshihito Nishioka, 7-6 (2), 6-3 to reach the Acapulco semifinals.
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
The sweat-soaked shirt and exuberant fist pump affirmed the demands of www.tennisexpress.com/rafael-nadal-tennis-equipmentRafael Nadal’s quarterfinal victory.
The second-seeded Nadal beat back the tricky challenge of Yoshihito Nishioka, 7-6 (2), 6-3, to advance to his third Acapulco semifinal.
Dubai: Murray Saves Seven Match Points
The two-time tournament champion stretched his spotless record in Acapulco to 13-0, including a 26-0 mark in sets.
The scoreline suggests a straight forward clash between two left-handers, but it wasn’t a pristine performance.
Nadal was down a break in both sets as the 86th-ranked Japanese qualifier showed a willingness to step into the court and take the Spaniard’s churning topspin on the rise.
The Australian Open finalist fluctuated through some highs and lows on serve in the opening set. Nadal hit three of his four double faults in the first set, but was nearly untouchable on first serve winning 21 of 24 first-serve points in the opener.
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
Tearing through the tie break, Nadal began swinging more freely in the second set.
Growing stronger as the match progressed, Nadal took charge of exchanges like this one.
Nadal thumped a bounce smash to complete a one hour, 57-minute victory.
Aiming for his first hard-court title since the 2014 Doha, Nadal will take on third-seeded Marin Cilic for a spot in the final. The sixth-ranked Spaniard has won three of four meetings with the eighth-ranked Croatian.
Cilic advanced to the final four without striking a shot as scheduled opponent Steve Johnson was forced to withdraw with ankle injury.
It is Cilic’s first semifinal since the Paris Masters semifinal last November.