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Andrey Rublev, the number 2 seed, continues having a no good, awful really bad start to the clay swing - going out in his first match after a bye to Brandon Nakashima, who gets his first top 10 win.
Nadal is a hold from winning his first match back in straight sets as I type over Flavio Cobolli rank 62.
Rafa is using a "protected ranking" but is unseeded. On clay. Let that sit in.
There is no number 1 seed listed, so I presume Carlos Alcaraz withdrew with his pronator muscle problem too late to redraw. -
Oddsmakers have Nadal as favorite vs demon today, implied probability on winning at about 58%.Comment
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Rafa is out as Alex de Minaur becomes the first Australian to EVER to beat Nadal: Score of 7-5, 6-1
"It was the physical aspect," says Alex who is too intelligent to get carried away.
Machine Translation:
Nadal “I have played this tournament as if it were my last time. My feelings on the court have been good, according to how I came, right now the main thing is not to win, but to get out of the tournament healthy. After losing the first set, the match was over”Comment
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Nadal is basically acknowledging the end is near while trying to avoid the ceremony .
“At least, how things went, for me I had the chance to say goodbye here on court,” said Nadal after his loss to De Minaur. “That means a lot to me, because I probably felt one week ago that I was not able to play in this event. That would have been painful, so at least I played, I enjoyed the game, and now is the moment to keep going.”Comment
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Nadal looked old out there no doubt. It is hard to imagine him ever getting through a draw again to me.Comment
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Looks yes.
But to quote Rudy Tomjanovich
"We had nonbelievers all along the way, and I have one thing to say to those nonbelievers: Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion!"Comment
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Stef Tsitsipas barely survived vs world number 53 Acosta.
Won fewer points, double faulted serving for the match, then came through in tiebreak.
But a win is a win and Tsitsi is 9-0 on clay this year and through to the semis.
"I got a little bit tense on my serve, I won't lie. I think I started decelerating a lot, but once I got a hold of that I was conscious of that, it went back to where it belonged and helped me a lot in the tie-breaker because if I didn't figure it out, I don't know. It was very mental in general. I really had to go to uncomfortable places mentally and go over the limit at some point."Comment
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Lajovic takes out Fils in 3. His ranking is number 59 in the world, but he has a lovely clay court game, a beautiful 1 handed backhand that we don't hear about much.Comment
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So, it is Casper Ruud vs Stef Tsitsipas for the second clay final in a row.
Ruud has coasted all week, while Stef has struggled mightily yet persevered.
This from Oleg S summarizes Stef's R16 match vs Acosta well:
"It's rare you see not one but *both* players -- who are otherwise very comfortable on the surface -- being paralyzed by nerves to the point they are incapable of executing the most basic shots... But that resulted in VERY fascinating final set you couldn't take your eyes off."
And this from "Lavana" about the chair, a good one:
"Great that this Epic Stefanos Tsitsipas tennis match {today's semifinal} is Chair Umpire Carlos Bernardes ‘ last one as an official before he retires. There was a tearful send-off ceremony after Stef’s QF match in Barcelona, Spain just now. April 19, 2024 Happy Retirement CarloComment
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This is truly amazing from two, such good players: "Ruud 0-7 in finals above the ATP 250 level, Tsitsipas 0-10 in ATP 500 finals.
One of these infamous records will stop being relevant tomorrow."
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Stats tell the story. Ruud really played well with controlled aggression.Comment
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Yup. Completely different match than their final only weeks ago. Hard to believe this is the biggest title Ruud has won, despite being in both US Open and French Open finals.
ATP: "
“Honestly, this has been worth the wait,” said Ruud, who had been to seven previous finals above ATP 250 level without winning a trophy. “A lot of finals that I’ve lost have been tough, a bit disappointing, of course. Any time you reach a final, it’s nonetheless a good week, so you can’t be too hard on yourself, but this one has been a long time coming.
“I’m super happy to do it here in Barcelona in front of a packed stadium and on Rafa Nadal Court. It’s special to me because I looked up to him all my childhood, came here myself as a 13-year-old boy to watch him and the others play here. It’s a great feeling.”
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