Alexander Zverev it was too giant for Rafa Nadal. Not only because of their endless 1.98m, which is unbridgeable on the net, but also because of a very powerful serve (13 aces achieved) that they took off the track and from the Paris Masters 1000 to the Balearic Islands. The eternal champion of the land of Paris was left without his second chance – the previous one, in 2007 – to conquer one of the three Masters 1000 that are missing from his record (the others are those of Miami and Shanghai). He fell for an unappealable 6-4 and 7-5 in one hour and 39 minutes.
Was the seventh time the faces of the young German (23 years old) and the veteran Spanish (34), with Nadal’s global dominance (5 wins, 1 loss). Although the last previous one it was for Zverev on your favorite terrain: fast track and indoor, on the ATP London 2019 Finals (He did it 6-4 and 6-2). Again they were measured on fast surface and indoors, the worst scenario for the world number 2.
Surface change
On the indoor hard court at the Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy, Nadal succumbed to a superior, more powerful and precise Zverev
Did not start well the semifinal for Rafa Nadal, who in 14 minutes was already in tow 3-1, when the German broke the service on the second occasion that remained. And he also did it in white. Zverev displayed a wide range of his arsenal: Powerful serve (9 aces in the first set), excellent drops, intense exchange of blows, powerful backhand and leg speed. For its part, the Balearic his strength failed him to get to one side and the other of the floor, as the German made him dance.
Nadal laments an error against Zverev (IAN LANGSDON / EFE)
They kept their respective services in the rest of the set, the German was more effective in the first serve, so Zverev He ended up taking the first sleeve in 40 minutes for 6-4 with a superb left. To Nadal he had to go back again, as before Feli
López at debut, and before Pablo
Carreno In rooms, if he wanted to reach his second final at the Parisian Masters.
A glimpse of a miracle
From a possible 5-2 that he avoided saving 4 break balls, Nadal went to a 4-5 that gave him hope
In the second set history repeated itself of the first: the consistency from german in rest and the solidity in the exchange allowed him to break the Mallorcan’s service in the third game and take a decisive advantage (2-1). He played the game very uphill to Nadal, who fit the 3-1 cocked by the strength of the world’s number 7 service.
The party sign could change in the sixth game, with service for the German, who was about to Nadal from romper. He put the Balearic 15-40, but the Teutonic giant saved two break balls to the despair of the Manacorense, who was beating his racket furiously. The duel with him was going away 4-2.
However, Nadal did not throw in the towel, clinging to an inexhaustible combativeness. He suffered to keep his serve afloat, saved four break balls for avoid 5-2. And it was more. He led Zverev against the ropes with the rest backing down to the back of the track and got his first break on duty, in the eighth game, to score the 4-4 that gave him back the hope of a comeback. The solid serve gave him the 4-5 blank. From being on the edge of the precipice, to glimpse the miracle.
The final auction
Zverev again broke the serve, third break, with the 5-5, to avoid the comeback of the Spanish
The Zverev reaction was forceful and dissuasive in the service: blank game and ace (11th) to close the 5-5. A magical drop, with the help of the tape, and a long rest of Nadal who went away gave Zverev the tercer break and the 6-5. The auction came with the powerful service, 40-0 and three match points that he executed in the second. One hour and 39 minutes and in the final.
In the final from Paris, Zverev will face the Russian Daniil Medvedev, the 5th world player, who beat the Canadian in the first semifinal Milos Raonic by 6-4 and 7-6 (4). It will be the seventh time they meet. So far 5-1 for the German.
