Nadal Defeats Gael Monfils at the Australian Open to Reach His 30th Career Grand Slam Quarterfinal

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is one step closer to a real comeback…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star and former World No. 1, who hasn’t won a Grand Slam since taking the French Open title in 2014, defeated sixth-seeded Gael Monfils in four sets on Monday to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the 30th time.

Nadal’s victory is even prompting talk of a possible Australian Open final against Roger Federer.

With No. 1-ranked Andy Murray and No. 2 Novak Djokovic — the two most consistent performers in the past six years at Melbourne Park — upset in the first week, Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, Nadal’s next opponent, is the highest-ranked player left in the draw.

He advanced to the last eight here for the third straight year with a 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut.

Nadal, seeded No. 9 at this tournament, is the only major winner still in contention on the bottom half of the draw, although he hasn’t added to his tally of 14 majors since the capturing the French Open in 2014.

Federer, in the top half of the draw, plays Mischa Zverev on Tuesday, and would have to beat him and either Stan Wawrinka or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — the other quarterfinalists playing Tuesday — to advance to the final.

Nadal’s 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over US Open semifinalist Monfils in the fourth round was his first over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam since that run to his last title at Roland Garros. It also ended a four-match losing streak against top-10 players.

“Being in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam after couple of years not being there is very special for me,” said Nadal, who last progressed this far at the 2015 French Open.

It also showed that after a couple of months off to rest his injured left wrist, he is still a contender at the majors. He hasn’t won an Australian title since 2009.

He went up a break early in the first two sets, had his chances in the third before Monfils rallied, and then traded breaks in the fourth before breaking the acrobatic Frenchman to win. Overall, he converted six of 17 break point chances.

Estrella Burgos Wins Ecuador Open Title

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Victor Estrella Burgos is a back-to-back champion…

The 35-year-old Dominican tennis player rallied from a set down to beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Sunday to retain his title on clay in the Ecuador Open in Quito.

It was only Estrella Burgos’ second ATP singles title, and both have come at this tournament.

Bellucci was trying to win his fifth ATP singles title, but he ran out of steam after dropping the second set in a tiebreaker.

The monthlong Latin American clay-court season moves on Monday to Buenos Aires with the Argentina Open, where former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is the top-seeded player and fellow Spaniard David Ferrer is No. 2. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is No. 3 and American John Isner is No. 4. All four have byes into the second round.

Ferrer Defeats Julien Benneteau to Reach the Western & Southern Open Final

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

The third time has proven to be the charm for David Ferrer…

Playing in his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semifinal of the year, the 32-year-old Spanish tennis player soundly defeated France’s Julien Benneteau to advance to the Western & Southern Open final, his first Masters 1000 final in 2014.

Ferrer, the sixth seed, was a comprehensive winner as against Benneteau, losing just five games.He needed just an hour and 11 minutes to complete a 6-3 6-2 win over his French opponent, who was playing in a Masters 1000 semifinal for the first time in his career.

The unseeded Benneteau managed to keep pace with Ferrer for the first six games before dumping a backhand into the net to give the Spaniard a break of serve.

Ferrer held his own serve then broke Benneteau again to wrap up the set, finishing things off with a backhand winner down the line.

Unforced errors continued to flow from Benneteau’s racquet at the start of the second set and Ferrer went a break up again in the fourth game.

The Frenchman did manage one more service hold and then showed admirable spirit to save four match points in the eighth game before finally succumbing on the fifth.

Ferrer, who was forced to save two match points in his opening clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber earlier this week, said afterwards: “I’m going step by step. Tennis is always a surprise. When I looked in my quarter of the draw and saw Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga there, I knew it was not easy.

“But as they lost, I took my chance and got into the final. I’m trying to improve my game every day. Watching the top 10 guys is a great inspiration to improve also. I’m feeling very comfortable on hard courts. On those I can play more with my timing than with power.”

Ferrer will now face former World No. 1 Roger Federer in the men’s final, his first in 11 tries at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 event.

Giraldo Overwhelms Andy Murray to Reach the Madrid Open Quarterfinals

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It took a few attempts, but Santiago Giraldo has finally beaten a top-10 player… And, he’s registered back-to-back wins against two big name players in tennis in the process.

Following his second-round upset win over World No. 13 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round, the 26-year-old Colombian tenista slaughtered Andy Murray on Thursday in the third round at the ATP Mutua Madrid Open.

The Wimbledon champion was simply overwhelmed by Giraldo, who is currently ranked No. 46 in the world.

Giraldo beat Murray 6-3, 6-2 in a mere 70 minutes.

Murray’s play was erratic throughout the match against the Colombian qualifier, who earned his first career victory against a top-10 player in 20 attempts.

“He played very well from start to finish,” Murray said. “Towards the end I didn’t put enough pressure on him to force him to make errors. He dictated most of the points and deserved to win. I didn’t envisage the match finishing like that.”

Giraldo will next face Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals.

Nadal Survives Test to Reach the Qatar Open Final

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal could be called the “Comeback King”…

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star reached the final of the Qatar Open on Friday after storming back from one set down to beat German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

“I’m in the final,” Nadal said. “That (will) probably give me a little bit more confidence, a little bit more rhythm.”

Nadal lost the first three games against the 162nd-ranked Gojowczyk but came back to level the first set before losing serve again in the 10th game.

The top-ranked Spaniard then raced to a 4-1 lead in the second and broke Gojowczyk’s in the third game of the decider after two forehand errors by the German.

“We’ll see if I am able to make (changes) tomorrow to play a little bit better,” Nadal said.

Nadal, who is trying to earn first title in Doha, will now face Gael Monfils of France, who beat Florian Mayer of Germany 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal.

The 31st-ranked Monfils hasn’t dropped a set all week but has only beat Nadal twice in 10 previous meetings. However, both those victories came here in Doha — in the 2009 quarterfinals and the 2012 semifinals.

This will be Monfils’ third appearance in the Doha final — he lost to Roger Federer in 2006 and to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2012.

“It means a lot to be in the final again,” Monfils said. “I have one match to go. I’ll be ready for it.”

Nadal defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Third place is the charm for Rafael Nadal…

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star bounced back after a disappointing loss in the semifinals to compatriot David Ferrer, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight-sets at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Nadal posted a 7-6, 6-3 win in the tournament in third plae.

According to RafaelNadalFans.com, the current World No. 1 will play his first official tournament in Doha this week, which will be his sixth appearance at the venue.

Nadal will look to stay atop the ATP rankings, when he returns to the Australian Open, which begins on January 13 in Melbourne.

Two weeks before the start of this year’s Australian Open, Nadal withdrew from the tournament citing a stomach virus. His withdrawal subsequently saw him drop out of the ATP’s Top Four for the first time since 2005.

del Potro Defeats Rafael Nadal to Reach Shanghai Masters Final

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Martin del Potro has taken down the world’s No. 1 player in China…

The 25-year-old Argentine tennis player defeated Rafael Nadal, who just returned to the top of the world rankings after an impressive run this year, 6-2, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters semifinals on Saturday.

The fifth-ranked del Potro will now attempt to win his first Masters title on Sunday against top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other semifinal 6-2, 7-5.

del Potro hadn’t beaten Nadal since the semifinals of the 2009 U.S. Open where he went on to win his only Grand Slam title.

But del Potro is playing fully fit and confident — he’s coming off a win last week at the Japan Open that returned him to the top five in the rankings for the first time in three years.

He completely overpowered Nadal with his deep, punishing groundstrokes and fended off all six break points he faced.

Nadal’s serve, on the other hand, was under threat during the entire match. After not dropping serve in 28 games this week, the Spaniard was broken twice to start the match as del Potro raced out to 4-0.

Del Potro started to make a few mistakes in the second set, giving Nadal two chances to break in the second game. But the Argentine saved both with huge serves and put the pressure right back on Nadal, breaking him for a third time in the following game.

“I played so solid all the time, hitting so hard the ball. I saw Rafa playing very far off the baseline, which is good for my game, for my serve and confidence. That’s the way to beat this guy,” del Potro said.

Nadal said he hadn’t seen del Potro play this well in years. Or anyone, for that matter.

“Very few times I played against a player with a level like today I played against,” the Spaniard said. “At the end, I played against a player who served 80 percent of first serves, who hit every ball as hard as he can, I think, and with no mistakes.”

del Potro wrapped up a spot in the ATP Finals in London with the win. He’s been working his way back into top form since a wrist injury knocked him off the tour for most of 2010 — just after he got his breakthrough win as a 20-year-old at the U.S. Open.

Ferrer Reaches His First Grand Slam Final

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a career first for David Ferrer…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in the semifinals at the French Open to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Ferrer showed great focus from the get-go to completely silence the crowd of roughly 15,000 at Court Philippe Chatrier, winning the first five games of the match by hitting aggressive forehand and backhand shots and chasing down every ball.

He even out-served Tsonga in the first set, hitting two aces and winning 67 percent of his first-serve points, compared to one ace and a 50 percent winning percentage for his French opponent.

Tsonga briefly got some momentum in the second set by breaking Ferrer en route to a 3-0 lead, but the Spaniard managed to get back on serve and then force a pivotal tiebreaker, which he dominated from start to finish.

Tsonga seemed deflated in the third set, losing his serve two more times as his bid to become the French man to win Roland Garros since 1983 ended on a disappointing note.

“I’m very, very happy,” Ferrer, the world No. 5, said after the match. “This tournament is very special for me and to be the first final of a Grand Slam in Roland Garros is amazing.”

“Now I want to enjoy this moment, to rest tomorrow, and to try my best in the final.”

Next up in the championship match will be fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who advanced to his eighth French Open final earlier Friday with an epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 9-7 victory over Novak Djokovic.

Nadal owns a 19-4 lead in their head-to-head matchup,a s well as a more lopsided advantage over Ferrer on clay, having won 16 of their 17 contests on that surface.

Sunday’s match will be the fourth all-Spanish men’s singles final at Roland Garros and the first since Albert Costa upset Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2002.

Nadal Gunning for Ninth Straight Monte Carlo Masters Title

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is back in the Monte Carlo Masters final again…

Despite his injury concerns, the 26-year-old Spanish tennis star will be vying for his ninth successive Monte Carlo title after defeating France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the semi-finals.

Nadal will next meet World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Sunday for the 16th time in a championship. Nadal leads 8-7 in their finals matches.

Nadal can improve upon his formidable record on the Monte Carlo red clay — winner of the last eight titles and 46 consecutive match victories.

Nadal has reached five successive finals since returning from a seven-month layoff for a left knee injury. He will go for his fourth title of the season against Djokovic, who cruised past unseeded Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-2, 6-1.

Djokovic and Nadal have not played against each other since last year’s French Open final, which Nadal won. He has won their last three encounters, after Djokovic took the previous seven — all of which were tournament finals. Nadal leads their head-to-head contests 19-14.

Nadal has been on a winning roll at Monte Carlo since 2005. His last loss here was to former French Open champ Guillermo Coria in 2003, and he missed the following year because of injury.

He insists he’s still some way from full fitness, despite dropping only one set so far.

“I know I need time to be 100 percent fit,” said Nadal, adding he thinks Djokovic’s injury was tame by comparison. “He stopped for, what, a few days for his ankle?”

Tenistas Melo & Soares Make Olympic History at the London Games

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares still have to win three matches to win the gold medal in men’s doubles tennis at the London Games… But they’ve already made Olympic history.

The 28-year-old and 30-year-old Brazilian tennis players set two Olympic tennis records on Wednesday when they defeated fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, 1-6, 6-4, 24-22, at the 2012 Olympic Games.

The second-round match at Wimbledon had the most games – 63 – in a best-of-three-set match in men’s doubles in the Olympics. The previous record was 59 games, set at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Meanwhile, Melo and Soares’ third set, with 46 games, was the longest set in men’s doubles at the Olympics. The previous record was 36 games in a 19-17 final set at the same match in 2008.

The match between the Brazilians and the Czechs was played over two days. It lasted four hours, 21 minutes.

On Tuesday, the longest set in Olympic history – 48 – was played when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated Milos Raonic of Canada 6-3, 3-6, 25-23 in the second round.

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