Rafael Nadal had a hard time overcoming Taylor Fritz and winning his ticket to the semi-finals of Wimbledon. Slowed down by an injury, the Spaniard needed to go as far as the “Super Tie-Break” to finally win 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 in 4h21 ‘game. Friday , he will face Nick Kyrgios.
Victorious over Rafael Nadal in March at Indian Wells and recently at the Eastbourne tournament, Taylor Fritz thought he could overcome the pitfall, but that was not enough. The American can also blame himself. He had chances to get the better of the Mallorcan, but he couldn’t make the difference when the time was right.
Opposite, the man with 22 Grand Slam titles did not seem the best but he fought as always with his iron will by pushing his opponent to the fault by dint of putting the ball back in the court.
A victory for experience
In the super tie-break, Nadal quickly led 5-0 before seeing his opponent come back to 5-3. But there again, the experience of the world number 4 made the difference and he was able to conclude on his commitment.
Nadal will meet Australian Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals on Friday, whom he has beaten 6 times in 9 encounters, including their most recent duel on the grass at Wimbledon in 2019.
ats/jfk
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