Nadal Tops Group A With 3-0 Record Rafael Nadal, the 2010 runner-up, defeated Tomas Berdych for the 16th straight time on Friday to finish Group A with a perfect 3-0 record at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Nadal’s win ensured that Stanislas Wawrinka, the seventh seed, also qualifies for the semi-finals. Berdych needs to beat Nadal to ensure his spot in the last four. Nadal completed a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Berdych in one hour and 50 minutes. The win means that he will face fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro or sixth seed and six-time former champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals on Sunday. I [attained] my goal, said Nadal. I am in the semi-finals without losing a match. So thats most important thing for me. Any opponent will be very difficult. We are playing against the best players in the world. So if is del Potro, if is Federer, both players know very well how to beat me, on this surface especially. The only way to win the match of semi-finals is by playing my best match, playing fantastic tennis. I have one day off. One day tomorrow to keep playing well, keep trying to improve a little bit more. Nadal signalled his intent with a thunderous forehand winner on the first point of the match. He went on to break Berdych to 15. In the eighth game, Nadal committed his first forehand error. He struck 11 winners and lost five service points in total to clinch the 40-minute opener. The set ensured that Nadal finished first in the group, regardless of the result. Afterwards, Nadal said, The first set was great today, in my opinion. I played my best set of the tournament. Momentum swung in Berdych’s favour in the second set as he lost just four points en route to a 5-0 lead. Berdych bullied Nadal, hitting nine winners and one unforced error. Nadal recaptured his form, but it was too late to recover in the set. Berdych converted his second set point opportunity with his 11th ace. He had lost six service points. Nadal came through a 10-point first game in the decider and was gifted a 5-3 lead when Berdych struck two double faults. Nadal clinched the match, his 74th victory of a remarkable season, with a hold to 15. Nadal has won 10 titles from 13 finals since returning from a seven-month injury lay-off in February. He has compiled a 23-4 record against Top 10 opponents in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Berdych, 28, now with a 53-24 mark on the season will next compete for the Czech Republic versus Serbia in the Davis Cup final next week. AT A GLANCE (1) Rafael Nadal d. (5) Tomas Berdych 64 16 63 • World No. 1 Rafael Nadal defeated Tomas Berdych 64 16 63 to close out Group A round robin play with a 3-0 record. It was Nadal’s 16th consecutive win over Berdych. It’s the second time the Spaniard has swept through round robin play. In 2010, he reached the final undefeated before losing to Federer. This will be his fourth semi-final. • Three of the four semi-final spots are now secured with No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka earning a spot in Sunday’s final four. The Swiss No. 2 defeated David Ferrer 67(3) 64 61 earlier on Friday. He is the first player to reach the semis in his season finale debut since Swede Robin Soderling in 2009 (l. to del Potro). • The last semi-final slot will be determined on Saturday when six-time champion Roger Federer faces No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro. Federer leads the head-to-head series 14-5 and this will be their third meeting in as many weeks. • Nadal improved his season match record to 74-6, including 35-3 on hard courts. He is the first active player to win at least 35 matches on clay (39) and hard courts in the same season. He also advanced to the semi-finals for the 16h time in 17 tournaments. He is an ATP World Tour-best 23-4 vs. Top 10 opponents this year. • Berdych finished with an 1-2 record in Group A round robin play and he will go into next week’s Davis Cup final vs. Serbia with a 53-24 match record on the season. He will finish in the Top 10 Emirates ATP Rankings for the fourth consecutive season.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 23:52:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015