Nadal reaches semis after four-hour marathon vs Navone

Navone secured the first set when Nadal sprayed a forehand wide, but the Spaniard quickly regrouped and raced into a 3-0 lead in set two

Rafael Nadal fought into the semi-finals of the Swedish Open on Friday as he defeated Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, 7-5 in three hours and 59 minutes. 

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is through to the last four of a tournament for the first time since Wimbledon two years ago. “It was very close, long and tiring,” said Nadal, whose near four-hour victory was the second longest three-set match of his career—after the 2009 Madrid semi-final against Novak Djokovic, which lasted 4hr 3min. 

He had to overcome a poor start against the fast-rising Navone, now ranked 36th in the world after beginning the year outside the Top 100. 
Nadal dropped serve three times in a row against an opponent who became the first man in the Open era to be seeded in his maiden Grand Slam appearance at this year’s French Open. 

The Spaniard trailed 4-1 and was down a double break but battled his way back into the set, saving two set points in the 10th game before eventually moving 6-5 ahead. 

Nadal himself had two set points as Navone served to stay in it, the fourth seed showing his mettle to force a tie-break in which he won the first five points to take charge. 

Navone secured the first set when Nadal sprayed a forehand wide, but the Spaniard quickly regrouped and raced into a 3-0 lead in set two. 

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!