Fourth seed Rafael Nadal did not have things his own way in cold conditions and under the floodlights at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, surviving a first-set comeback and a spirited display by Argentinean Diego Schwartzman on Friday night to win 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 40 minutes.
"It wasn’t easy to find a real way to win, but I played much better in the last three-and-a-half games, more aggressive with my forehand. I finally found the way to create damage on the opponent,” said Nadal. I am in the semi-finals. That's what I'm looking for, a great start to the clay-court season.”
Nadal will take on David Goffin on Saturday for a place in his 11th final in Monte-Carlo, where he has lifted nine trophies and has an incredible 61-4 match record. The Spanish superstar has never met 10th seed Goffin, who knocked out second seed and two-time former champion Novak Djokovic earlier in the day.
"He's a great player. He's a player that is playing unbelievably well during the whole season. He is winning so many matches. I know he can win against everybody, and he knows it too,” said Nadal. He's more and more confident every time. I said last year that he can fight for the top position because he's a very complete player on all surfaces. He can play well everywhere. That's very important today.”
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Nadal and Schwartzman's third meeting started in the evening, following a trio of three-set matches earlier in the day, with Schwartzman breaking Nadal to love in the first game. Nadal responded to take a 4-1 lead, but came within one point of a 4-5 deficit as Schwartzman found his range with his powerful forehand and some solid backhand winners down the line.
From 5-4 in the opener to a 2-0 advantage in the second set, Nadal regained control, but Schwartzman grew in confidence by breaking serve in the third and fifth games for a 4-2 lead.
Nadal worked his way back by varying his groundstroke pace and service direction to win four straight games and clinch the match. The Spaniard improves to 22-5 in the 2017 ATP World Tour season.
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Although Schwartzman drops to 0-10 lifetime against opponents in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance will be rewarded on Monday with a place in the Top 40.
Tomorrow, Nadal will look to add to his legacy at the historic clay-court tournament, where he played his first Masters 1000 tournament as a 16 year old in 2003 (l. to Coria in 3R).