ATP

Nadal reaches Melbourne final as Spanish legend bids to stretch trophy streak

By Sports Desk January 08, 2022

Rafael Nadal fended off a battling Emil Ruusuvuori to reach the Melbourne Summer Set final as the Spanish veteran bids to land the 89th singles title of his stellar career.

Nadal, who has won at least one ATP Tour tournament in every season from 2004 onwards, will look to extend that streak into a 19th year after scoring a 6-4 7-5 win on Rod Laver Arena.

He has not captured a title in Australia since 2009, when he landed his only Australian Open triumph to date by beating Roger Federer.

Nadal will be a strong favourite against American qualifier Maxime Cressy in Sunday's final, despite being made to work hard to see out victory over 22-year-old Ruusuvuori.

The 35-year-old Mallorcan looked set for a routine win but dropped serve at 5-3 in the second set, allowing world number 95 Ruusuvuori a path back into the contest.

It provided Nadal with a test of resolve that he came through, tying up victory in an hour and 56 minutes, an encouraging sign as he continues to battle for full sharpness after a near five-month absence.

Nadal acknowledges he may not have long left in tennis, and he wants to make the most of the opportunities that remain.

"I just love what I'm doing," he said in an on-court interview. "I always feel passionate about the sport in general and I feel a very lucky person that I can live from one of my hobbies, tennis.

"I know it's not forever and it's not a job I'm going to do for 50 years, but I want to enjoy it as much as I can while I still have the chance."

The foot injury that caused the 20-time grand slam winner to curtail his 2021 season in August has not prevented him finding winning form this week and now Paris-born Cressy awaits, with the 24-year-old world number 112 enjoying a remarkable week.

Cressy was a 7-5 7-6 (11-9) winner on Saturday against Bulgarian third seed Grigor Dimitrov, serving 17 aces on the way through to his first ATP Tour final.

At the Adelaide International 1 event, Gael Monfils will face Karen Khachanov for the trophy.

Top seed Monfils ended the spirited run of Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis, earning a 7-5 6-0 semi-final win, while second seed Khachanov battled past former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Related items

  • ATP Finals: In-form Zverev edges Rublev to kickstart hat-trick hunt ATP Finals: In-form Zverev edges Rublev to kickstart hat-trick hunt

    Alexander Zverev insisted improvements needed to be made despite kickstarting his ATP Finals campaign with a straight-set triumph over Andrey Rublev on Monday. 

    Zverev, who is going in search of a third crown at the year-end tournament, emerged a 6-4 6-4 victor in 72 minutes in Turin to claim a Tour-leading 67th win of 2024. 

    Rublev, however, got off to a blistering start to the encounter, winning each of his 13 points on serve, only for a lapse in the seventh game that allowed Zverev to take the opening set.

    Zverev continued to trade blows with his opponent, but he claimed the decisive break point in the ninth game to maintain his dominant record in opening round-robin matches at the event (6-1). 

    "I'm looking forward to the next few matches, and hopefully I can improve on a few more things because I don't think this match was perfect to be honest," Zverev said.

    "I still think there's a few more things that can be better. I missed a few balls from the baseline and I feel I wasn't as sharp movement-wise as I would like to be."

    Zverev joined Casper Ruud at the top of the John Newcombe Group after he had beaten Carlos Alcaraz earlier on Monday, with the Norwegian up next for the world number two.

    Data Debrief: Alexander the Great

    After winning the ATP Finals in 2018 and 2021, Zverev's performance against the big-hitting Rublev was a sign of his intentions to complete a hat-trick of victories at the year-end tournament. 

    The German struck 22 winners compared to his opponents' 10, along with converting both break points he was presented with. 

    Excluding the Laver Cup, Zverev also claimed the 50th ATP top 10 win of his career, becoming the first player born since 1990 to achieve the feat.

  • ATP Finals: Alcaraz 'didn't feel completely well' in shock Ruud defeat ATP Finals: Alcaraz 'didn't feel completely well' in shock Ruud defeat

    Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he struggled with illness during his opening game loss at the ATP Finals to Casper Ruud on Monday. 

    Alcaraz looked out of sorts as he fell to a 1-6 5-7 defeat to Ruud in just 86 minutes in Turin, and now faces an uphill struggle if he is to progress from the John Newcombe Group.

    During the contest, the Spaniard hit 26 unforced errors compared to his opponents' 10, while also failing to save any of the four break points he faced. 

    It also marked Alcaraz's first loss against Ruud in their fifth match against each other, with the 21-year-old confirming he had felt unwell leading up to the tournament. 

    “I don’t like talking about things like this because it sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper did to win the match,” began Alcaraz.

    “Before coming here, I was unwell at home. When I got to Turin, practice was going well; I could handle long rallies, competing and playing.

    "And I hoped things would get better as the days went by.

    "I don’t know if it was because of the nerves of the first match, but I didn’t feel completely well. My stomach limited my game a lot and made me feel uncomfortable.

    "I could’ve done better. I’m not going to feel good in every match I play throughout the year, but it really limited me in terms of my recovery.”

    Alcaraz will be back on court on Wednesday, when he takes on the loser of Monday's clash between Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.

    Failing to win would see the four-time grand slam champion fall short once again at the year-end tournament, but he was confident of claiming a maiden ATP Finals crown. 

    “I don’t want to think much beyond today... Given how I’ve felt, it’s difficult to think about the semis,” said Alcaraz.

    “The good thing in this sport is that your game can feel very bad one day and very good the next.

    "There have been many players who have lost the first match of the [Nitto] ATP Finals and ended up winning. I reached the semis last year after losing on the first day.

    "Now I want to take it day by day, to feel better, and see how the next match is. I’ll approach it as best I can. Let’s hope things turn out well.”

  • ATP Finals: Ruud stuns Alcaraz to claim 50th Tour-level win of the season ATP Finals: Ruud stuns Alcaraz to claim 50th Tour-level win of the season

    Casper Ruud believes his 50th Tour-level victory of 2024 was one of his best after he upset third seed Carlos Alcaraz in his opening match of the ATP Finals on Monday. 

    Ruud, who had registered just two wins since the US Open, sealed a 6-1 7-5 win in just 86 minutes against Alcaraz for his maiden Top 3 triumph on hard courts. 

    The Norwegian reeled off five consecutive games from 1-1 to claim the first set at a canter but had to battle from the brink to secure a straight-set victory in Turin. 

    Alcaraz had raced into a 5-2 lead in the second set but was unable to hold on, with Ruud roaring back to sit top of the early standings in the John Newcombe Group. 

    "It's only one match, but it's one of the best wins of the season in terms of who I am playing and his ranking," Ruud said.

    "I feel really happy, of course. I think we have seen Carlos play better tennis, but I took care of my chances. 

    "I haven't been boosting with confidence in the last few months so it was a great win for me and I would like to get some more wins in Turin.

    "I got a good start, I got a break early and in the second set I managed to turn it around with some good tennis at the end."

    Ruud will next seek to earn a second win on Wednesday when he will face either Alexander Zverev or Andrey Rublev, who play later on Monday. 

    Data Debrief: Ruud awakening

    Although Alcaraz appeared below his physical best during Monday's encounter, Ruud took full advantage to continue his impressive streak against the very best in the world. 

    The Norwegian's latest win saw his record against players in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings improve to 5-2, and he was a worthy winner in Turin. 

    Ruud converted all four of the break points he was presented with, ending the contest with 10 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz's 26. 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.