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Jannik Sinner was born in 2001 and Rafael Nadal turned professional that same year. The Spaniard claimed his first major title in 2005 when the Italian was just three years old and they were rivals on the field on Tuesday night in Paris.
Twelve-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal stayed on track for the twentieth major title and defeated young Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals in two hours and 48 minutes 7: 6, 6: 4, 6: 1 and advanced to position 13..
before the semifinals of his beloved major. Rafa had to work much harder than the last four laps to claim his 98th win at Roland Garros. He entered the Philippe-Chatrier square very late and stayed there for more than two hours to win the first two sets.
Sinner tried his best and had nothing left in the tank for the third set. He reached the quarterfinals in his debut like Rafa, but did not advance. Nadal broke twice and produced six successful laps.
The duel ended with 37 winners and 33 unforced errors to end Diego Schwartzman’s game. They both won their service games in their first two games to get off to a solid start. Nadal secured a break point at 2: 2 after a loose backhand from the youngster.
There were no break opportunities in the next five games, as Sinner was the first player to play five games against Nadal in a single set in Paris this year. The teen didn’t stop and made a late break when Nadal landed a wide forehand, advanced 6-5 and served for the set.
With no margin for error, the Spaniard placed two forehand winners to regain the break and bring the pre-tiebreaker score to 6-6. Now he was the favorite, opening a 5: 2 lead and sealing the set 6: 4 when Sinner made a forehand error.
The youngster won his serve in his opening games in the second set and hit a 2-1 forehand winner to take the lead. The more experienced player fell back immediately after a Sinner forehand error, blocked the score 3: 3 and gained momentum.
Rafael Nadal defeated Jannik Sinner for place in the semifinals in Paris
Sinner led 40:15 in the ninth game before Nadal scored four straight points to secure a decisive break. He closed the set 5-4 after a two and walked away a winning set in two hours and 11 minutes.
Driven by this momentum, Nadal broke in the first game of the third set with a winning cross backhand, kept his serve to Deuce and was interrupted in the third game when Jannik sent a long backhand to seize the lead.
The Spaniard won his service game 4-0 after another two before Jannik put his name on the scoreboard, reducing the deficit and prolonging the clash. Nadal sealed the deal with a break in the seventh game, dominating the youngster and advancing to the final four.
“Thank you for staying so long. The conditions here are very difficult tonight. Sinner is a talented young man. He plays very hard and shoots great shots.
It was a challenging fight for two sets, especially in the final stages of the first when I was lucky enough to make up that 5-6 break. The conditions were a bit difficult because he hit each ball very hard.
It was a challenge for me to hit the way I wanted because you can’t do a lot of spin with these balls in cold weather. It was not easy to get Jannik out of his comfort zone. I did a much better job in the third set, I played more aggressively and was excited to get to another semi-final in Paris.
This is the best place to play tennis. Now I have two days to train, rest and recover a bit and prepare for the semifinal against Diego, ”said Rafael Nadal.
