Great favorite, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal was eliminated on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome by the Argentinian Diego Schwartzman in two sets (6-2, 7-5), eight days before Roland kick-off -Garros.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal, favorite, was eliminated on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 Rome by Argentinian Diego Schwartzman in two sets (6-2, 7-5), eight days before Roland kick-off -Garros.
Nadal, who had given up tournaments in the United States (Cincinatti and US Open), returned to competition in Rome, after more than six months of forced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was eliminated from a tournament which he won nine times and of which he was the title holder.
Schwartzman had lost nine times to Nadal
Bullets bulging along the lines, cushioning with finesse, endless rallies and races.
For the first time this year in Rome, Rafael Nadal has found an opponent to his measure with Diego Schwartzman, seeded N.8, a player who is not used to shine in major tournaments and who so far had lost nine times in nine matches against "Rafa"!
Two breaks in the first set for a 6-2 initially left Nadal confused.
The Spaniard had beautiful drawn from all his panoply, the "vamos", the closed fists, the variety of the blows, the Argentinian aged 28 years answered him tit for tat in a second anthology set before s 'impose with astonishing mastery.
In the semifinals on Sunday, Schwartman will meet N.12 seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov.