In one of the best matches to be remembered lately on clay,

Alexander Zverev

stopped

Rafael Nadal

in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open. The German beat the five-time champion of the tournament by a double 6-4, in one hour and 44 minutes, to the dismay of the fans, who became a crowd through his unconditional drive. Champion in the Conde de Godó and also eliminated in the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo, Nadal will play the last tournament before Roland Garros next week in Rome. Semifinalist in Madrid in 2019, he loses the number two in the world, which he had recovered in Barcelona.

A controversial decision of the judge unfounded for Zverev ended up spurring the German.

Eighth game.

4-3 for Nadal.

Zverev came from recovering the lost serve in the sixth.

Second service, with 30-15.

Nadal remains long, but claims next and the Hawkeye confirms that the Hamburg player service had gone out.

Double fault.

30-30.

Zverev protests, since he understands that his opponent was not in a position to claim once he had returned the ball.

It is useless.

Angry, he makes a mistake and faces

break

ball

.

Save her and win the game.

4-4.

He yells in anger.

He will break again next, aided by a double fault from Nadal, and then he will take the partial.

Discreet season

Surprised in the Munich quarter-finals by

Illya Ivashka

, Zverev, champion in Madrid in 2018, had not been having a good clay season. In Monte Carlo

David Goffin

stopped him

in the round of 16. He had, however, two victories in the last two meetings with Nadal, although both were on the fast track and indoors. Despite having won the Acapulco tournament this season, he gave the impression of being a tennis player who still regrets having lost

the last US Open final to

Dominic Thiem

after having a two-set lead.

Nadal started well, trying to avoid the remains of the backhand, the best blow from his adversary. Zverev sinned excessively when it came to speeding up his impacts. He knew of the need to expose everything to have options. The serve, one of his best arguments, worked for him, allowing him to dominate points. Unlike the times when his hand is shaking, he rose in the game with determination and courage, not caring to miss two occasions that would have placed him 5-2 and serve in the second set. More erratic than usual, with 17 unforced failures, 10 of them with the right, and tending to concessions, Nadal facilitated the task. "The conditions were favorable for him and I have lacked it. Here the feeling of lack of control is much greater. I have made unjustifiable mistakes, at times when it was not necessary to do it",he said, self-deprecating, at a press conference.

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