RAFAEL NADAL fought back from a set down to beat Diego Schwartzman to seal his place in his 11th French Open semi-final.
World No 1 Nadal booked his place in the last four at Roland Garros after beating the 12th seed 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 after rain saved the Spaniard yesterday.
Play was halted on court on Wednesday evening due to bad weather, with the 32-year-old trailing 4-6 3-5, and he seized his second chance in emphatic fashion.
Nadal quickly won the two points he needed from overnight to pull it back to 4-5, as he got his forehand back firing on all cylinders to punish the Argentine star.
In epic fashion, the 16-time Grand Slam champion lost just four games in one hour and 42 minutes after play resumed, as he closes in on a record-extending 11th title in Paris.
Such was the dominance from Nadal on clay today, Schwartzman took just one point from Nadal’s first three service games.
Speaking after the match, Nadal said: “Diego is a good friend, a good player. It wasn’t easy but I wish him well for the future.
“I played at a better level after the rain (yesterday). I’m happy to make it to the semi-finals and want to thank the crowd for their support.
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“It will be a difficult match who ever I play in the semi-finals.”
That man will be Schwartzman’s Argentinian compatriot Juan Martin del Porto, who beat Marin Cilic in four sets – winning 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-3 7-5.
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