Tennis
Rafael Nadal has not only extended his winning streak with a lot of hard work, but is also reaching for his fourth title in 2022 in the Indian Wells final. The Spanish superstar won the semifinals at the Masters 1000 tournament in California against his compatriot on Saturday (local time). Carlos Alcaraz 6:4 4:6 6:3 and thus celebrated his 20th win in a row. In the final on Sunday, Taylor Fritz from the USA, who previously beat Andrei Rublev 7:5 6:4, is waiting.
20.03.2022 09.51
Online since today, 9.51 a.m
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“I am very happy to be in the final. It means a lot to me and now I just have to keep going,” said Nadal, who had to fight hard. After winning the starting set, which he only won 6: 4 despite 17 break chances, Alcaraz came back and equalized. In the deciding set, Nadal’s third service game proved to be groundbreaking. Alcaraz missed three break opportunities, while Nadal took his only chance at 4: 3 and ended the game a little later after 3:12 hours.
Nadal will remain undefeated in 2022. The winning streak earned him victory at the Australian Open, his 21st major title in men’s record. Nadal also won the ATP tournaments in Melbourne and Acapulco. Nadal could win a Masters for the 37th time, Fritz is still waiting for his first win in a tournament of this category. The 24-year-old became the first American since John Isner to make it to the Indian Wells final in 2012. The only direct duel between the two so far was two years ago in the final in Acapulco. Nadal then won 6: 3 6: 2.
Interruptions get on your nerves
The match between Nadal and Alcaraz was affected by violent gusts of wind in the second set. Because paper and towels were flying around, there were several short breaks in the game. “The problem in tennis is we don’t have a rule for it,” said Nadal. He doesn’t have any major problems with the wind and sees the circumstances as a challenge. However, the constant interruptions “make it unplayable for me”.
In the third set, the 35-year-old had to be treated by a physiotherapist on the pitch. He had chest pains, Nadal reported later. “I still feel it a little, but there are still many hours until tomorrow. I hope it won’t be a problem,” said the Spaniard.
Fritz ends Rublev’s streak
In the duel with Rublev, Fritz lost a 5:2 lead in the first set, but then kept his nerve, especially on the decisive points, and managed the decisive break to make it 7:5. In the second set, it went to 5:4 without losing serve, before Fritz took the service from the seventh in the world rankings with a return to win the match. This ended a 13-game winning streak for Rublev.
ATP-1000-Turnier in Indian Wells
(US, $8,584,055, hard)
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