Rafael Nadal after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals

Nadal delivered a show of strength in the first set and forced Tsitsipas to play.

The 34-year-old served superbly, achieved a point quota of a whopping 89 percent after the first serve and laid the foundation for the lead with the first break of the game.

Tsitsipas played at a good level, but initially could not do much against the record Grand Slam champion.

That changed in the second sentence. The Greek improved and was there at the perfect moment. In the tenth game, the world number six managed the break to 6: 4.

Bitter for Nadal: Tsitsipas made a double mistake at the second set point.

As a result, both players swayed seriously during service, set three began with three breaks in a row. The better end had Nadal, who twice broke through his opponent’s service game and couldn’t take the advantage out of his hands.

After a playing time of two hours and four minutes, the world number two made the semi-finals perfect with the second match point.

“I played pretty well for long stretches, and it was tough in the second set at 4-5. Things then changed in the course of the third set, I got through my serve well again. Overall, it was a very positive match for me, “said Nadal, very satisfied after the game.

The Mallorcan called the entry into the semi-finals an “important matter”. Understandable, as the ATP Finals form the last big gap in Nadal’s collection of titles. The 13-time French Open champion once reached the final of the season’s final event, but had to admit defeat to Novak Djokovic in 2013.

Nadal will continue on Saturday with the semi-final against Daniil Medvedev, who won the “Group Tokyo 1970” and has a 3-0 record against the Spaniard.

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