• The last opponent Grand Djokovic before Medvedev

Rafa Nadal placated the overwhelming staging of Alex de Miñaur to add the victory that granted Spain the pass to the final of the ATP Cup, where Serbia will be measured. A few minutes after the overwhelming victory of Roberto Bautista against Nick Kyrgios, the 'number one' in the world knew how to resist the young local idol to define in 127 minutes the second point of the tie (4-6, 5-7, 6-1 ).

De Miñaur, with spectacular flexibility from the bottom of the track, dazzled the Rosewall Arena for more than an hour, in need of something to cling to after the grim performance of Kyrgios before Bautista (6-1, 6-4). His dominance in the first round, settled since the break in the first game, admitted no reply in a Nadal without confidence in his blows.

The heat in Sydney and the effort of the eve in the decisive duel of doubles against the Belgians, who delayed his rest until more than five in the morning, seemed to take a toll on Rafa. However, his proverbial ease in sustaining himself in the most difficult situations once again played a decisive role.

A 'break point' in 90 minutes

Point to point, the manacorense was balancing the situation and silencing the hits of the number 18 of the ranking. The breath of the stands and the Australian captain, Lleyton Hewitt, were not enough for De Miñaur, who delivered the set in the twelfth game after the only 'break point' in 90 minutes.

From that moment, Nadal took the initiative with an unprecedented sufficiency and scored 12 of the first 13 points for 3-0, immediately prolonged with a second break that froze the heart of the 'aussies' fans.

Without being intimidated

De Miñaur, from a Uruguayan mother and father, still gathered enough courage to reply with a 'break' against and listen to the advice in perfect Castilian, a little to the despair of his usual coach, Adolfo Gutierrez. Of course, Nadal wasn't going to be intimidated by that epic threat. So he bowed his head again to add the next two games that threw the blind to the tie.

"It will be a super tough final," the 19-majors champion foreshadowed, his body still drenched in sweat, after thanking the public's sporting behavior. On Sunday, all of Sydney will vibrate with its dreamed duel against Novak Djokovic. A little earlier, the very inspired Roberto Bautista must cross Dusan Lajovic.

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