Rafael Nadal used a 40-minute rain delay to regroup and returned with greater self-belief to turn the tables on Diego Schwartzman in their Roland Garros quarter-final on Wednesday. Schwartzman deservedly led by a set and 3-2, but upon the resumption of play 10-time champion Nadal won three consecutive games for a 5-3 advantage in the second set, after a 20-minute passage of play between rain delays. Play was officially cancelled for the day at 7:30 p.m. local time. Schwartzman, who has never beaten Nadal in five previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, won 70 per cent of his first-service points in the opening set, striking 20 winners to Nadal’s four. He took a 3-2 lead in the second set when they...
Marco Cecchinato’s stunning run to the semi-finals of Roland Garros can be greatly attributed to improved performance behind his second serve. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the 25-year-old Italian’s second serve reveals it has typically been a weak link in his arsenal. He has won only 45 per cent of second-serve points for his career, and just 44 per cent this season. [ALSO LIKE] Through five matches at Roland Garros, that win percentage has jumped to 54 per cent. The tournament average so far is 50 per cent (5347/10668), which highlights just how impressive he has been in this key area compared to the rest of the field. In the deciding fourth set of his quarter-final victory...
Watch highlights as Marco Cecchinato reaches his first Grand Slam championship semi-final at Roland Garros with a stunning victory over 2016 champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday. Video courtesy of Roland Garros. Photo credit: Peter Staples/ATP World Tour
Watch highlights as Dominic Thiem beats Alexander Zverev on Tuesday to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals for the third consecutive year. Video courtesy of Roland Garros. Photo credit: Peter Staples/ATP World Tour
If you were Italy's Marco Cecchinato, who beat Novak Djokovic to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals on Tuesday, wouldn't you also be believing anything is possible? Defeat Dominic Thiem, a three-time Roland Garros semi-finalist, on Friday? “Why no?” Cecchinato said. Who cares that the last time Cecchinato beat Thiem was five years ago, during a Futures final, and on hard courts, a much different setting than where they'll play their on Friday, on Court Philippe-Chatrier, at Roland Garros, during a Grand Slam semi-final. [ALSO LIKE] But at least Cecchinato has some past experience to rely on against Thiem, who swept Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 earlier Tuesday to reach his third Grand Slam semi-final. Before Roland Garros, Cecchinato had never...
