Nadal wins the match he needed to win

If Rafa Nadal was looking for playing time and temperature at the ATP 250 in Bastad 2024, he can leave very happy with what happened this Friday afternoon. In his quarter-final match against Mariano Navone, the Spaniard had to push himself for 3 hours and 58 minutes to overcome the Argentine (6-7, 7-5, 7-5) and win one of those battles that mark a turning point. With two very inconsistent sets and a much more complete third set, Nadal secured his first ticket to the semifinals in two years, since he did so at Wimbledon 2022, where he couldn't even compete at that stage due to an injury. Tomorrow, he faces the Croatian Duje Ajdukovic on the court, ranked at #130, although we'll have to wait and see how he performs. Considering that the Bastad draw is of a rather discreet level, we can agree that today's challenge was the toughest for Nadal since the beginning of the week. He faced a player who is having his best season, highest ranking, and best form and confidence. However, there is a long way between all that and winning a match against the best clay court player in history. The match was unusual from the first ball, with three consecutive breaks, Navone leading 4-1, the typical awakening of Rafa in the face of adversity, or better said, the tremendous nerves of the Argentine when faced with the first set points. Both players contributed to ensuring that the first set did not end there. The Spaniard managed to save a critical situation and then took a 6-5 lead, but this time it was Mariano who brought out the best from his arsenal to save the lethal blow and secure the tiebreak. Neither player was shining too brightly, the younger one setting the pace until Nadal managed to position himself better on the court and finish the job with his forehand. However, he was having trouble getting into position. Nevertheless, the tiebreak was completely dominated by Navone. He demonstrated that the threat was real and quickly took a 4-0 lead, nearly insurmountable at that stage. Although the Spaniard tried, it was already too late. After an hour and a half, the 24-time Grand Slam champion found himself needing to come from a set down to extend his journey in Sweden. If the first set was long, the break that followed when Nadal left for the locker room was equally lengthy. The former world number one sought to reset the plan, regain inspiration to turn the score around, as he has done countless times in his career. Meanwhile, sitting on the central court, Navone may have been thinking to himself, 'If it took me 90 minutes to win a set against this guy playing decently, what will happen if I lower the intensity a bit?'. The native of 9 de Julio was about to discover the answer just a few minutes later, seeing how the score of the second set started with a 3-0 lead for Rafa almost unnoticed. The lapse was minimal, but that's how the greatest pay their bills. **A SECOND CHANCE** As a true Argentine, Mariano had to learn the hard way that when facing a legend, you can never let up. So, when he rose from his chair, without the initial scare, he was a new player, specifically the same one from the first set. Winning four consecutive games, recovering from the double break deficit, Navone left the Spanish TV commentators speechless, with no convincing explanation for Rafa's inconsistent performance that Friday afternoon. Maybe there's no need to overanalyze and just accept that sometimes things don't go as planned, especially at 38 years old. With all these doubts, we reached 4-4. Although the momentum seemed to suggest a collapse from the Spaniard, I must admit I was intrigued by how the following games unfolded. Tragedy loomed for the legend, the audience whispered about a possible disappointment; a journalist even had a tweet drafted. However, once again, with that innate champion ability to weather the storm, Rafa prevailed. First, by holding his serve and then by getting every ball in, pressuring the Argentine in a way he couldn't withstand. With a 7-5 victory for Nadal, they headed to a decisive third set. It was there where we finally saw the players let loose, with little regard for their opponent, the score, or even the great opportunity of facing Duje Ajdukovic in the semifinals the next day, a Croatian outside the top 100 who was already waiting in the next match. Who would be their opponent? Not the youngest, not the one with the most fuel left in the tank, but the one who excels at walking the tightrope. In the fifth game of the set, Rafa stepped up his game to distance himself from the Argentine, who then made a comeback when everything seemed settled, going from 2-5 to 5-5. However, he had the misfortune of crossing paths with the greatest competitor this sport has seen. Nadal advances to the semifinals of a professional tournament more than two years later; all we ask is that he wakes up tomorrow ready to compete.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nadal gana el partido que necesitaba ganar