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Tennis
Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the quarterfinals on his return to the ATP circuit at the Masters 1000 event in Rome. The defending champion, who had stopped at the US Open, lost to strong Argentine Diego Schwartzman 2: 6 5: 7 on Saturday after a tough fight. The first seed, Serbian Novak Djokovic, however, reached the semifinals after another break.
For the 28-year-old Schwartzman, who is ranked 15th in the rankings, it was his first success in the 10th match against the Spanish clay king. “I’m very happy. It’s crazy. I played my best tennis and took every opportunity,” said the three-time winner of the ATP tournament while on court. The number eight of the tournament will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals.
With Nadal in second place in the world, having previously only surrendered six games in two games, there is no longer any chance of the dream final against Djokovic on Italian soil. The world number one had been nervous in his match against German qualifier Dominik Koepfer and lost a set.
Djokovic for sure
Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals of the ATP 1000 tournament in Rome without major problems. Even if the Serbian had to give up a set against German qualifier Dominik Koepfer, the victory was ultimately sovereign.
Djokovic smashes his racket
When he conceded the rebreak to 3: 3 in the second set without winning a point, the Serb also smashed his racket out of anger. Djokovic later admitted “that I have breakouts and this is a kind of personality and the player that I have always been”. The number one on Rome’s seeded list was last disqualified at the US Open in the round of 16 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Djokovic retained against world number 97. But in the end Koepfer had the advantage with 6: 3 4: 6 6: 3. The qualifier had surprised in the second round with a victory against the French number five, Gael Monfils. The 26-year-old had no chance against Djokovic despite a strong showing and winning the second set in his first quarter-finals on the ATP circuit.
After 2:10 hours, the first Serbian seed used his second match point to advance to the round of the top four. Djokovic will now face Norwegian Casper Ruud in the semi-finals in Rome. Number 34 in the world. defeated local hero Matteo Berrettini 4: 6 6: 3 7: 6 (7/5).
Halep in the semifinals against Muguruza
Previously, seed Simona Halep had advanced to the semi-finals of the preparatory tournament for the French Open for women. After a 6-2, 2-0 lead, the 28-year-old Romanian benefited from the abandonment of her opponent Julia Putinzewa of Kazakhstan. The world’s number two now meets Garbine Muguruza. The Spanish, seeded number nine, defeated Belarusian Viktoria Asarenka 3: 6 6: 3 6: 4. The second semifinals are disputed by the two Tschwchinnen Karolina Pliskova (2) and Marketa Vondrousova (12).
ATP 1000 tournament in Rome
(Italy, 3,845,000 euros, sand)
WTA Premier tournament in Rome
(Italy, 1,692,169 euros, sand)
