Rafael Nadal overcomes Schwartzman to enter the French Open semi-final
Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal earned a hard-fought victory over Argentina's Diego Schwartzman to enter the semi-finals of the 2021 French Open. Although the 10th seed duly tested Nadal in the quarter-final that spanned over two hours, the Spaniard won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Notably, Nadal has never missed out on a Roland Garros title after claiming a spot in the semis. Here is more.
How did the match pan out?
Schwartzman did fairly well in the first set despite having a 2-4 deficit. His efforts paid off in the second set as he took a set off Nadal. However, the Spaniard used all his experience to bounce back, winning the next set 6-4. Nadal was all over the Argentine in the final set, making it one-sided in the end.
Nadal earns his 11th victory over Schwartzman
Nadal has won his 11th match against Schwartzman. He has an 11-1 lead in the ATP head-to-head series. Schwartzman's only win against Nadal came in Rome last year. However, weeks later, he was handed a straight-set defeat by the Spaniard in the Roland Garros semi-final. Notably, Schwartzman is the only player to take a set off Nadal in this year's French Open so far.
Schwartzman ends this streak of Nadal
By winning the second set, Schwartzman ended the 36-set winning-streak of Nadal at Roland Garros. The Argentine had ended Nadal's 38-set winning streak in the same tournament in 2018. Notably, Bjorn Borg holds the record for winning 41 consecutive sets at the French Open.
An incredible record of 105-2 at French Open
Nadal has improved to an astonishing 105-2 match record at the French Open. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has entered his 14th Roland Garros semi-final. As stated, he has never lost the penultimate clash of the tournament. He is through to his 35th Grand Slam semi-final overall. Nadal is 23-3 in the season, which includes titles in Barcelona and Rome.
Rafa is unbeaten in his last 35 French Open matches!
13-time #RolandGarros champion @RafaelNadal advances to his 14th SF with 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over [10] #Schwartzman. #Nadal improves to 105-2 @rolandgarros and he is unbeaten in his last 35 #RG matches (104-4 sets).
— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) June 9, 2021
Nadal is 13-0 in #RolandGarros SF matches.
Nadal likely to face Novak Djokovic in semis
Nadal is likely to set up a high-voltage semi-final clash with world number one Novak Djokovic, who faces Matteo Berrettini next. The Serbian advanced to the quarter-final after an intense encounter against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, who retired through injury. Notably, Nadal trails Djokovic 28-29 in their ATP head-to-head series. However, the Spaniard has beaten Djokovic in seven out of eight Roland Garros matches.
