Rafael Nadal extended his 2022 win streak to 20 matches and clinched a spot in his fifth Indian Wells Masters final after a thrilling three-set victory over compatriot Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday.
The fourth seed lifted in the final set to win 6-4 4-6 6-3 over 19th seed Alcaraz in three hours and 12 minutes, with Nadal to play American Taylor Fritz in Sunday's decider.
The match was played amid blustery conditions, particularly the second set, where debris flew on to the court regularly interrupting or delaying play, which appeared to impact Nadal more.
Alcaraz had more winners (41-24) but also more unforced errors (34-26), with Nadal finding another gear when it mattered in the final set.
Nadal's victory improved his record to 20-0 this season, earning him a fifth Indian Wells Masters final spot and his first since 2013. The Spaniard won the Indian Wells crown in 2007, 2009, 2013 and was runner-up in 2011.
The 35-year-old also clinched a berth in his 53rd Masters final, keeping him on track for a 37th title at this level.
The 21-time major winner claimed the decisive break in the eighth game of the third set after a physio break for treatment on his back, before serving out to-love for victory.
"In the second, the conditions became crazy, honestly," Nadal said during his on-court interview. "It was not funny playing in this wind. In terms of tennis it was OK but in terms of stopping all the time, it was not good.
"In the third I think I played much better. I played much more aggressive. I am super happy. Being in the final means a lot to me."
Alcaraz had started the better to open up a 2-0 lead in the opening set, before Nadal responded emphatically.
There were five breaks in a row in the second set, including the Spanish teenager going ahead 5-4 after a game lasting almost 20 minutes, converting his seventh break point, before serving out the set.
As the conditions settled, Nadal showed more aggression, coming into the net with regularity before taking the key break in the eighth game.
American 20th seed Fritz reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final with a 7-5 6-4 victory over seventh seed Andrey Rublev in one hour and 50 minutes.
The California native is the first American male to reach the Indian Wells since John Isner in 2012.
"It's just unreal, really. It doesn't even seem real. I'm just trying to take in the moment, regroup and come back tomorrow for the final," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "But it's a dream come true."
"Today I definitely played my best match of the tournament so far. I was so much more aggressive from the ground and so much more solid [with] my ground strokes, whereas [in] other matches I was maybe playing a bit safer.
"I really tried to take it to him and impose my game today. I did it well, so that helped a lot."
Boris Becker ‘working hard with the authorities’ to return to Wimbledon in 2025
Boris Becker says he is “working hard with the authorities” to return to the UK and Wimbledon in 2025.
The three-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion was deported from the UK in December 2022 after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case.
Becker cannot return to the UK until October 2024 at the earliest following his deportation, but the 56-year-old German plans to return to the tournament he says is “in my DNA” as soon as possible.
“Wimbledon has been my favourite tournament as a player, coach and commentator,” Becker said at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.
“It’s unique, you can’t compare it.
“I lived in Wimbledon a long time so I’m working hard with the authorities to have all the applications ready to be back for next year. We’re working on 2025.
“It’s a part of my life. It’s in my DNA, you can’t deny that.”
Asked if he would be back in the Wimbledon commentary box, Becker replied: “I hope so.”
Becker has not been involved in tennis since stepping down as Holger Rune’s head coach at the start of February.
The pair spent less than four months together, but in that time the 20-year-old qualified for the ATP finals in Italy.
::The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards take place on Monday evening in Madrid. To find out more, and follow the ceremony, visit www.laureus.com
Former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza announces retirement
Former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza has announced her retirement from tennis.
The 30-year-old Spaniard won the French Open in 2016 before lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court the following summer but she had not played a competitive match since January 2023.
At a press conference where she was announced as a Laureus Ambassador, Muguruza said: “If 25 years ago, when I started hitting my first tennis balls, someone had told me that I would become a professional tennis player, that I would fulfil my dream of winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, that I would become number one in the world and win the WTA Finals, I would have thought this person was crazy.
View this post on Instagram“Tennis has given me a lot in this first part of my life. It has been a fantastic journey in which I have experienced unique situations. I have travelled all over the world and experienced many different cultures.
“I am tremendously grateful to all the people who have helped and accompanied me throughout this chapter, because without them I would not have been able to get here.
“I have grown and matured in a very different way than what can be considered normal, and now I am ready to start a new chapter in my life, which will surely be linked in some way to tennis and sports.
“I hope that my collaboration with Laureus Sport for Good is the beginning of many more projects in which I can dedicate myself and help young people through sport.”
Muguruza turned professional in 2012 and reached her first grand slam final three years later at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Serena Williams.
But the big-hitting Spaniard took revenge in 2016 when she stunned Williams in the final at Roland Garros, and a year later she beat Venus Williams to add the Wimbledon trophy to her collection.
She climbed to the top of the rankings in September 2017, where she stayed for four weeks, but consistency was not Muguruza’s strong point and she slipped down the standings before a resurgence in 2020.
Muguruza reached her fourth grand slam final at the Australian Open, losing to American Sofia Kenin, and she returned to the world’s top three at the end of 2021 after winning the WTA Finals for the first time.
But the next season saw her plummet back down the rankings and her retirement comes as no surprise given her long hiatus from the sport.
Emma Raducanu’s run at Stuttgart Open ended by world number one Iga Swiatek
Emma Raducanu’s progress in the Stuttgart Open was halted in straight sets by world number one Iga Swiatek.
The Polish four-time grand slam champion, in her 100th week on top of the ATP world rankings, prevailed 7-6 (2) 6-3 to set up a semi-final showdown with Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.
It was, however, an encouraging quarter-final performance from Raducanu, who has slipped to 303 in the world rankings after a torrid 2023.
Raducanu came in to the contest on a high after winning four matches in a row for the first time since her US Open title in 2021 and raised confidence levels were reflected in the opening exchanges.
Several booming returns from the 21-year-old Briton turned a 0-40 deficit into an immediate break of serve, but Swiatek levelled after edging a second game that featured seven deuces.
That see-saw battle set the tone for a marathon 70-minute opening set which produced plenty of high-quality ground strokes from both sides of the net.
The match went with serve from that point, with Raducanu superbly holding her nerve at 5-4 and 6-5 down to force the first set to a tie-break.
Swiatek completely dominated the tie-break though, winning the first four points before closing it out 7-2.
Raducanu was quickly in trouble again in the second set, falling 2-0 behind and covered in clay after losing her footing on the baseline.
She continued to fight and fended off break points in her next two service games to stay in the match.
But Swiatek kept up the pressure to finally end Raducanu’s resistance to move in to the last four.
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