For Rafael Nadal, the formula has been simple thus far during the clay season — step on the court, play excellent tennis, win matches and break records. After claiming historic 11th titles at Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, the World No. 1 has not stopped. Nadal extended the number of consecutive sets he was won on clay to 50 with his victory at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, defeating No. 13 seed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 to eclipse John McEnroe’s Open Era record of 49 straight sets won on a single surface (carpet, 1984). "I really don't think much about that. All these things, probably after I finish my career will be the time to think about it," Nadal said. "I...
It was not completely shocking that Serbian Dusan Lajovic, who had never beaten a Top 10 opponent (0-10), was nervous as he served on his second match point against one of the hottest players on the ATP World Tour. But Lajovic played a patient baseline rally at 7/6 in the third set tie-break to outlast Juan Martin del Potro, the recent BNP Paribas Open champion, to send shockwaves through the Caja Mágica and clinch the biggest win of his career, a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) victory. Lajovic will look for his second Top 10 win in the quarter-finals against South African Kevin Anderson. "It's for sure my best win, and definitely one of the best matches I've played. I really felt...
Denis Shapovalov took a big career step on Thursday when he beat compatriot Milos Raonic, Canada’s No. 1 since 2010, in a first-time meeting at the Mutua Madrid Open for a place in the quarter-finals. It denied Raonic the 300th match win of his career. Shapovalov belied his 19 years, playing with great maturity to beat fellow big-server Raonic 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes. He is through to his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final, nine months on from upsetting Rafael Nadal en route to the 2017 Rogers Cup semi-finals in Montreal. “[It was] definitely one of my best days on clay,” said Shapovalov. “To be on the court against such a legend for me, and for my country,...
After winning his second BMW Open by FWU crown last week, Alexander Zverev continued his fine form at the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday night, defeating Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy 6-2, 7-5. The German No.1, who reached the quarter-finals in 2017 (l. to Cuevas), won 85 per cent of points behind his first serve and did not face a single break point en route to the third round. Zverev joins Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem with an ATP World Tour-leading 22 wins in 2018 (22-7). The 20-year-old has now won nine of 11 matches on clay this season and improves to 9-3 at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events this year. The second seed in the Spanish capital reached...
Miami Open presented by Itaú champion John Isner advanced to the Mutua Madrid Open third round on Wednesday, defeating fellow American Ryan Harrison 7-6(1), 7-6(7). Isner, at a career-high No. 9 ATP Ranking, hit 22 aces in the one-hour, 31-minute encounter en route to victory. Isner improves to 7-3 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Harrison, levelling their 2018 series at 1-1 after Harrison’s success in Acapulco three months ago. In a match which featured no break points, Isner was given a tough test by Harrison as he secured his 10th victory in Madrid. The 33-year-old dominated the opening-set decider, firing his 11th ace of the match to clinch a one-set advantage. The second tie-break proved far more competitive,...
