Four-time former champion Rafael Nadal has reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals without dropping a set after he recorded his 200th clay-court match win on Monday.The second-seeded Spaniard hit 27 winners and committed just as many unforced errors to overcome No. 24 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes.
Nadal has now reached the last eight for the 14th time in his past 16 Grand Slam championships. He is bidding to become just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles, after Swede Bjorn Borg (1974-75, 1978-81).
He will next meet his Spanish compatriot and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro. The pair met in the 2008 Roland Garros quarter-finals and also in the recent Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open semi-finals. Nadal leads 6-0 overall in their career series.
"It's going to be very difficult because the way he plays is really excellent," Nadal said. "He's managed to maintain the same level here in the tournament. It's going to be complicated; he's going to be very aggressive. It's normal. He knows how to do this. And as far as I'm concerned, I'll try and play my way and do my best. I'll do my best so that he feels a bit uncomfortable."
In an all-left-hander encounter, Nadal immediately stamped his authority on the pair's first meeting for two years by breaking Bellucci’s serve in the opening game. The Sao Paulo resident broke back in the fourth game, when he rushed Nadal into a backhand error off a forehand approach. Bellucci won seven straight points to 40/0 at 2-2, before Nadal sprang into action by winning four straight games to clinch the first set in 39 minutes.
Nadal threatened to run away with the second set, but Bellucci highlighted his potential as a genuine heir to three-time former Roland Garros champion and World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten.
On two occasions the pair exchanged service breaks – in the second and third games, then again in the ninth and 10th games – but at 5-5, Nadal produced an outstanding backhand crosscourt pass off a powerful forehand approach by Bellucci to gain a crucial break. Nadal closed out the 61-minute second set to 30, when Bellucci hit a backhand into the net.
"I succeeded well because I managed to play even better," said Nadal. "I could shoot into the balls the way I wanted to, mainly the backhand shots, but also my forehand... I think I served better today than any other day, and I'm very satisfied because I think I've improved. I've not yet dropped a set."
Novak Djokovic maintained his record of never losing to an American on clay courts, when he beat Georgia resident Robby Ginepri on Monday for a place in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
The third-seeded Serbian improved to 5-0 lifetime against Ginepri with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win in overcast conditions on Philippe Chatrier court. Djokovic, who hit two aces and 36 winners, now has a 20-5 record at Roland Garros where he reached the 2007 and 2008 semi-finals.
He will next meet Jurgen Melzer, the No. 22 seed from Deutsch-Wagram, who has become the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals since Thomas Muster in 1998.
"I'm really not a morning person, so it took a lot of time for me to get into the rhythm and warm up basically for the match," said Djokovic of his slow start. "He was very aggressive from the start. I was lucky to pull out that first set in my favour. [In the second set] unfortunately I lost focus.
"But I overcame it [and the] third and fourth [sets] were really, really good. I was aggressive, I was serving well, and playing from all over the court. With that kind of game I performed in the third and fourth set, I think I have a good chance against anybody on the court now."
Monday, 31 May 2010
Singles - Fourth Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [24] T Bellucci (BRA) 62 75 64
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d R Ginepri (USA) 64 26 61 62
[19] Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d [7] F Verdasco (ESP) 61 46 61 64
[22] Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 76(6) 46 61 64
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