By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 15, 2016
Rafael Nadal broke serve four times waxing Stan Wawrinka, 6-1, 6-4, to roar into the Monte-Carlo semifinals against second-seeded Andy Murray.
Photo credit: Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters/Getty
After enduring an afternoon of frustration, Stan Wawrinka finally had Rafael Nadal right where he wanted him: At net and seemingly vulnerable.
The reigning Roland Garros champion tried ripping a shot right through Nadal, who wasn't fazed by the ball blurring right at him.
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Anticipating the blast, Nadal stuck a slick forehand volley into the open court in a sequence that summed up this lopsided Monte Carlo match. Even when Wawrinka was in position to strong arm shots with damaging intentions, Nadal responded with disarming answers.
A battle between two men who have combined to claim 10 of the last 11 Roland Garros titles was no contest. A fierce Nadal waxed Wawrinka, 6-1, 6-4, in a sharp performance that propelled him into the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters semifinals against Andy Murray.
The second-seeded Scot won eight straight games destroying Milos Raonic, 6-2, 6-0, in 66 minutes. Murray, who did not face a break point, won 18 of 22 first-serve points roaring into the Monte Carlo semifinals for the third time.
Contesting his 12th consecutive Monte Carlo quarterfinal, Nadal looked revitalized after fending off 15 of 17 break points in a punishing straight-sets win over 12th-seeded Dominic Thiem yesterday.
Setting an aggressive tone at the start, Nadal slashed a pair of aces in the opening game. Wawrinka set up for a fairly routine smash in the third game, but sprayed the shot wide. That mind-numbing mistake proved costly: Nadal reeled off 16 of the next 21 points taking complete command of the set.
A stinging forehand return down the line gave the eight-time champion two break points. Curling a churning crosscourt forehand into Wawrinka's one-handed backhand, Nadal drew the error to break for 3-1.
After the break, an increasingly cranky Wawrinka snapped.
Misfiring on a backhand, Wawrinka spiked his Yonex racquet to the court, picked up the stick and snapped it in half over his knee in visible frustration.
The fourth seed grabbed a new racquet but couldn't pick up the pieces of his disintegrating game. When Wawrinka slapped a listless forehand into net, Nadal gained his second straight break for 5-1.
Empowered, Nadal crunched a forehand winner down the line that Wawrinka didn't even bother chasing, sealing the set at love with his fifth straight game.
Nadal played clean, controlled tennis throughout the set, while an out of sorts Wawrinka spent time between points pawing at his racquet and sometimes griping about the chatter coming from some of the fans dining on lunch.
It was as if Wawrinka wasn't ready to play after Murray's quick dismissal of Raonic as the Swiss did not come close to matching Nadal's energy in the opening set.
Still, despite completely dominating the match, Nadal showed signs of jitters midway through the second.
After breaking at 15 for 3-2, Nadal, who had not been tested on serve all day, spit up a double fault and scattered a backhand wide donating the break back at love with a sloppy service game for 3-all.
Denying two break points in the seventh game, Wawrinka stuck a fine forehand volley holding for 4-3.
That was really the two-time Grand Slam champion's last stand.
Firing his returns with much more ambition than he has for much of this season, Nadal earned triple break point in the ninth game. Wawrinka fended off the first two but strayed an inside-out forehand wide as Nadal broke for the fourth time. The left-hander punished his opponent's second serve, winning 18 of 25 points played on the Swiss strongman's second delivery.
On his third match point, Nadal closed a commanding victory defeating Wawrinka for the sixth time in seven clay-court encounters in advancing to the final four for the 11th time.
Continuing his quest for his first title of the season, the eight-time champion raised his Monte Carlo record to 56-4. Nadal has won 16 of 22 meetings with Murray, but the Scot dismantled the defending champion, 6-3, 6-2, in the Madrid Open final on clay last May to capture his 10th Masters crown.