A week after Andrey Rublev stunned Rafael Nadal in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals, 19-year-old phenom Jannik Sinner defeated Rublev to reach the Barcelona Open semifinals.
Asked about the result after his 6-1, 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie, Nadal said it's not a surprise because Miami Open finalist Sinner has shown he belongs among the elite.
More: Nadal Into Barcelona Semifinals
Eleven-time Barcelona champion Nadal trained with Sinner in Adelaide last January, has hit with Rublev several times and has high regard for both young players.
"It's not a surprise for me," Nadal said of Sinner's 6-2, 7-6(6) win today. "Before the match I thought it was gonna be a 50-50 match."
The third-ranked Spaniard suggested Sinner appreciates the pace he receives from the hard-hitting Rublev.
"Sinner is a great player," Nadal said. "The way that Rublev plays don't bother that much to Jannik.
"Jannik is a top player and anything can happen. I think from what I heard Jannik had better chances the whole match so well done for him happy for him and sorry for Andrey."
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