Tennis - Clearance Center

Rafael Nadal extended his perfect Internazionali BNL dItalia semi-final record to 12-0 on Saturday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Reilly Opelka. The nine-time champion claimed a single break in each set to move one win away from a record-equalling 36th ATP Masters 1000 title. Nadal is now also within touching distance of winning a single tour-level event on 10 or more occasions for the fourth time. The Spaniard already owns 13 Roland Garros crowns, 12 Barcelona trophies and 11 Monte-Carlo titles. After saving two match points against Denis Shapovalov in the third round and nine of the 10 break points he faced against Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, Nadal continued to find his best tennis in critical moments against Opelka. The second seed saved four break points at 2-1 in the first set and broke serve in two of the three games where he earned a break point to advance to the c...

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Top seed Dominic Thiem learned his path to a second Open Parc dAuvergne-Rhone-Alpes-Lyon trophy on Saturday, and the journey will be anything but straightforward after landing in a loaded section of the ATP 250 draw. The Mutua Madrid Open semi-finalist will be seeking his 18th tour-level title after taking a wild card into Lyon. Thiem, the 2018 champion, will start in the second round after a bye and awaits the winner of Frenchman Corentin Moutet and Britain’s Cameron Norrie for his opening match. He owns a 1-0 ATP Head2Head record against both players. View Lyon Singles Draw Further down the draw, Thiem’s section is loaded with experienced clay-courters and in-form players, led by sixth seed Jannik Sinner. The 19-year-old Italian drew one of the trickiest first-round opponents in the field: an unseeded Aslan Karatsev. The Russian defeated Sinner in their only previ...

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Lorenzo Sonego stunned Andrey Rublev 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final at the Internazionali BNL dItalia in Rome. The 26-year-old saved 11 of the 13 break points he faced to overcome the Monte-Carlo runner-up in two hours and 33 minutes. Backed by a passionate home crowd on Grand Stand Arena, Sonego won 100 points compared to Rublev’s 99. “[This is] my favorite tournament in the world, Im with my people here,” Sonego said. “[I am] so happy for this because I played every point. Im really happy.” [WATCH LIVE 1] The Italian has defeated consecutive Top 10 opponents to reach the final four in the Italian capital. Sonego outlasted fourth seed Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) in a marathon three-hour, 24-minute clash on Thursday. Sonego will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for a place in the championship match. The five...

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After heading to sleep trailing by a set and a break in his Internazionali BNL dItalia quarter-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic raised his game on Saturday to earn a memorable 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 comeback victory against the Greek. The top seed returned to the court on Saturday morning with Tsitsipas serving at 6-4, 2-1, and he broke serve in two of his opening five return games to force a decider. Rain suspended play twice on Friday, but there was no denying Djokovic on Saturday. The Serbian twice recovered from a break down in the decider to reach the final four in Rome for the eighth straight year (2014-’21). “There are many things to say about today or yesterday’s match. It kind of felt like we played two matches… The one yesterday, where he was the better player. He started better today also. I managed to somehow to hold my nerves [and] break hi...

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From goalkeeper and salad ingredient comparisons to a McDonalds confession, ATP Tour players have shared memorable quotes these past two weeks from Madrid and Rome. Can you remember who said what Was it Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic or Gael Monfils who enjoyed a recent reunion with Andy Murray at the Internazionali BNL dItalia Who called it one of the biggest wins of my career to beat Rafael Nadal in his house at the Mutua Madrid Open Take the quiz and prove how much you remember! (We wont set a timer on this one, in case you want to do a little bit of research... ??) Quiz: Who said it 1. I think its comparable to a goalkeeper [facing] a penalty. If he places it well, if it has the right speed, theres just no time to react. 2. They always say the 18th birthday is special, but it will be even more special to turn 18 playing against one of the best t...

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Rafael Nadal was delighted with his performance at the Internazionali BNL dItalia on Friday, where he snapped his three-match losing streak against Alexander Zverev to reach his 12th semi-final in Rome. Just one week after his quarter-final loss to the German at the Mutua Madrid Open, the 34-year-old was able to turn the tables on his Top 10 rival and consistently find his best tennis under pressure. Nadal found himself in trouble on multiple occasions against the in-form Madrid champion, but he was able to save nine of the 10 break points he faced with his attacking strategy from the baseline. “I played much better than yesterday. I did a lot of things well [and I was] playing much more solid. I think I played one of [my] more solid matches on clay this year against a very tough opponent,” Nadal said. “Its a great victory for me. Of course its important because und...

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After rain washed out half a day’s play at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia , Semi-final Saturday will prove to be a hectic affair as six players are set to take the court at the Foro Italico and only two will emerge with spots in the championship match. Second seed Rafael Nadal booked a first-time meeting against big-serving Reilly Opelka in the semi-finals, and the winner will have to wait to learn his final opponent. Top seed Novak Djokovic and fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas were locked in their quarter-final clash when rain halted play, while seventh seed Andrey Rublev and Lorenzo Sonego were waiting in the wings. The quarter-final winners will have to do double duty and contest a semi-final match later in the day for a place in the final. Unseeded Opelka has served up 77 aces on his way to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, and he got there without dropping a set. ...

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