Spanier plays Fritz, the 11th seed, in the quarterfinals
Rafael Nadal’s adjustment phase at Wimbledon is done. He played some of his finest tennis for the second match in a row to defeat a seeded opponent in straight sets while holding off a late comeback.
The Spanish player advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time in a row at SW19 with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(6) triumph over 21st seed Biotic van de Zandschulp on Centre Court on Monday. He will take on 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday in an attempt to advance to his third semi-final in as many tries after reaching his eighth quarter-final at The Championships.
I kept going in a good direction, he remarked. “I believe that up until the very end, against a tough opponent, [when] I played a terrible game at 5-3, [it had been] a very nice match. Biotic has improved greatly over the past year, so huge congrats on this incredible improvement.
“It’s remarkable for me to be in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon after three years without playing here [since 2019], so [I’m] very, very thrilled,” said the player. “After all the things that happened the last couple of months.”
This match was tenser than his victory against Lorenzo Sonego in the previous round since Sonego broke late in the third set before Nadal quickly broke back to win the match 6-4.
Van de Zandschulp was the opponent for the Spaniard, who was unable to serve out the match at 5-3. He then led 6/3 in the third-set tie-break before winning on his fourth match point when an overhead shot missed the mark. Despite the delay, Nadal concluded the match in a quick two hours, 21 minutes before the Centre Court roof had to be closed due to waning daylight.
With a strong showing in the tie-break, Nadal overcame his two dropped return games in the final set, which were the only blemishes in the entire match.
Midway through the tie-break, the 36-year-old moved van de Zandschulp all over the backcourt in a protracted, lung-busting comeback, earning a critical mini-break while the Dutchman missed a drop shot as his legs started to tyre.
The Spaniard broke the tie at 4-2, hitting two cross-court backhand passes to move ahead, in one of his greatest games of the set. Van de Zandschulp fired the first after pursuing a challenging volley and looked back in shock. The second was more about touch than force, and the Spaniard celebrated by pumping his fist like a lawnmower.
By winning his third Wimbledon championship and a record-extending 23rd major men’s singles title, Nadal would break his own record and attempt to complete the third leg of the Grand Slam, which entails winning all four majors in the same season. He has never before brought the Australian Open and Roland Garros trophies to The Championships.
Also Consider: Fritz Flies Past Kubler To Wimbledon Quarterfinals
He will next play Fritz, who defeated Jason Kubler on Monday by scores of 6-3, 6-1, and 6-4. The American defeated him in the March Indian Wells final, as mentioned by Rafael Nadal in his on-court interview. The 24-year-old is experiencing a breakthrough year after winning the BNP Paribas Open in his native southern California and rising to a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 13 in the process.
Nadal remarked, to laughter, “He’s playing well, he’s having an amazing year, winning his first Masters 1000 — by the way, against me in the final.” It will be a difficult match, but given that we are in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, what can I expect?