Rafael Nadal tops Tomas Berdych to qualify for the semis – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
Five-time former winner, Rafael Nadal of Spain, disposed of the in-form Czech contender, Tomas Berdych, in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy on Friday.
It was a close contest and it took the Spaniard two hours and six minutes to topple Berdych.
Nadal got Berdych under pressure from the beginning of the match, breaking him in the very first game of the opening set and consolidating on it to attain a 2-0 advantage. The Spanish star maintained his lead till the end, capturing
it 6-4.
The 10-time Grand Slam winner, Nadal, served brilliantly, as he banged in a couple of aces and 84 percent of the first deliveries, converting incredibly 19 of the 21 of them into points. In comparison, Berdych hit only one ace
and put in just 58 percent of the first serves. The Czech player could not capitalise on the only break opportunity he created and failed to put away one of the three break threats he came across.
Nadal and Berdych broke each other once in the first eight games of the second set, levelling the score at 4-4. The Spanish ace struck again in the 11th and served it out at 6-5.
Currently ranked third in the world, Nadal, inflicted most damage on his opponent with the help of second deliveries and returns, as he pocketed eight of the 10 and 12 of the 16 points on them respectively.
The Spaniard said, giving an interview after the match, "I played one of my best matches on clay against a difficult opponent. It was a big match and one of the higher quality matches this year because the level of the opponent
is high and he is playing with big confidence. I played under pressure all the time in the match; my chances on the return were few so I had to be focused. I hit a few fantastic shots and this kind of shot comes with confidence."
Nadal was upset by Fernando Verdasco in the third round at Mutua Madrid Open last week. However, the Spaniard had captured two successive titles at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters and Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell before that.
The Mallorca, Spain resident added, "I'm happy to do so well after also playing well in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.”
Nadal will lock horns with his fellow compatriot, David Ferrer, for a place in the title match.
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