SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
 
 
Facebook Social Button Twitter Social Button Follow Us on InstagramYouTube Social Button
NewsScoresRankingsLucky Letcord PodcastShopPro GearPickleballGear Sale


By Chris Oddo Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
 
Rafael Nadal - 2012 Monte Carlo(April 20, 2012)—Rafael Nadal moved one step closer to a much anticipated final with Novak Djokovic today when he defeated Stan Wawrinka 7-5, 6-4 at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The win stretches Nadal’s remarkable unbeaten string at the clay-court event to 40 wins.
 
“Since I was a kid, one of my dreams was to play here,” said Nadal.
 
For Wawrinka, it was just another blistering-hot day in Rafa’s kitchen. The Swiss has now lost all seventeen sets he’s played against Nadal, and even though he put his best foot forward on many occasions today, there was not much he could do to slow down Nadal.
Nadal drew first blood in the first game, hammering a forehand down the line that Wawrinka couldn’t do anything with to secure the break.
 
“I just tried to play my game,” said Nadal. “Tried to play a little bit aggressive and tried to move him—that’s probably the worst part of his game.”
 
After six consecutive holds, Wawrinka broke to level the first set at 4-all, taking advantage of some loose play by Nadal and some fine ball-striking of his own.
 
But three games later, the inevitable occurred. Nadal broke back for a 6-5 lead, taking advantage of a botched smash by Wawrinka at deuce and a netted forehand on break point, then served the set out with little resistance.
 
Starting to dial in his game, Nadal broke again to start the second set—this time he wouldn’t give it back. The seven-time Monte-Carlo champion held without facing a break point the rest of the way to complete the straight-sets victory in one-hour, 47-minutes.
 
The victory was Nadal’s 33rd consecutive quarterfinal victory on clay, with his last loss coming back in 2005 to Igor Andreev in Valencia.
 
Nadal will meet Frenchman Gilles Simon in the semifinals tomorrow. Simon upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight-sets today to reach his first Monte-Carlo semifinal.
 
Nadal owns a 4-1 lifetime record versus Simon, with all of their previous encounters coming on hard courts.
 

 

Latest News