By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, April 18, 2019
Defending champion Rafael Nadal and two-time champ Novak Djokovic streaked into the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals, while fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem stumbled.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Spiking wind conjured up a curtain of red clay that made Rafael Nadal look like a man emerging from a maroon mist.
On a day in which biting breeze dislodged the crushed red brick, 11-time champion Nadal and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic both imposed order on the Monte-Carlo, while Dominic Thiem tumbled in a stunner.
Watch: 5 Mind-Blowing Clay Achievements
Reigning champion Nadal washed a wave of crosscourt forehands winning eight of the final nine games to ground Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4, 6-1, and charge into his 15th consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo quarterfinal.
It is Nadal’s 70th career victory in the Principality; he’s won 70 or more matches at both Monte-Carlo (70-4) and Roland Garros (86-2).
The second-ranked Spaniard will play Argentine left-hander Guido Pella for a trip to the final four.
Pella out-dueled 2018 Roland Garros semifinalist Marco Cecchinato, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Pella, who beat seventh-seeded Marin Cilic in round two, broke five times.
Djokovic, the last man to beat Nadal in Paris, streaked through seven streak games to seal a 6-3, 6-0 sweep of Taylor Fritz and race into his ninth quarterfinal in 13 appearances in his hometown tournament.
Dusan Lajovic reeled off the final five games of the match shocking the fourth-seeded Thiem, 6-3, 6-3.
Winless in five prior meetings with the Indian Wells champion, Lajovic raced out to a 5-1 first-set lead then roared back from 1-3 down in the second set wrapping up his second straight-sets win over a seed following a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over 16th-seeded David Goffin.
The top-seeded Serbian looked more comfortable than he did during his racquet-smashing, frustrating 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, win over Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round.
The Australian Open champion converted six of 10 break-point chances and won 75 percent of points played on Fritz’s second serve improving to 15-3 on the season.
“I had a day off yesterday and had time to work on a few things,” Djokovic told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “Obviously, this kind of surface requires time practicing time, playing. The more you play, the more comfortable you get that was kind of the case today.”
The two-time Monte-Carlo champion will face dangerous Daniil Medvedev for a semifinal spot.
The 10th-seeded Russian repelled Stefanos Tsitsipas in a grudge match, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. Djokovic has won all three matches with Medvedev, including a high-quality 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 win at the Australian Open in January.
“Every day I progress in the tournament I feel more comfortable,” Djokovic said. “Tough conditions, he’s a big server and has a big game. I tried to set him off his comfort zone mix it up with spins and slices… and it worked well.”
Both Nadal and Djokovic worked the width of the court playing high-percentage crosscourt patterns to tame the wind and explosive opponents.
Footwork is a foundation of Nadal’s game. His precise preparation steps were even more pronounced on the gustiest day of the tournament as the defending champion charged out to a 4-1 lead.
A year after Dimitrov lost to Nadal 6-4, 6-1, in the 2018 Monte-Carlo semifinals, he broke back in the seventh game.
The degree of difficulty Dimitrov faced holding serve was glaring in the eighth game when he played a pair of spectacular points.
Sliding into a seated backhand pass, Dimitrov followed that sit-down strike showing sculptor’s feel with a clever drop volley. All that good work got the world No. 28 even after eight games.
Then Nadal dropped the hammer.
Hitting some vicious forehands, Nadal drew successive shanks from Dimitrov scoring his second break to snatch the 51-minute second set.
The first set escalated into a brief duel; Nadal turned the second into a demoralizing plight for Dimitrov.
Oppressive court coverage from the speedy Spaniard forced Dimitrov to take greater risk as the match progressed.
Trying to thread the needle hitting into a tricky breeze, Dimitrov scattered successive forehands as Nadal earned his third break for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Confined to his backhand corner by Nadal’s torrent of churning cross court topspin forehands, Dimitrov tried running around his backhand but ran into more misery instead.
Working through a solid hold, Nadal continued to coerce the Bulgarian into demanding shots from awkward spots on court for his fifth straight game.
In front of a supportive crowd that included his parents, sister, girlfriend and former coach uncle Toni Nadal, the reigning champion finished with a flurry of forehands to extend his Monte-Carlo winning streak to 17 matches.