Top-seeded Rafael Nadal rallies to reach Rogers Cup semis
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, serves to Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the Rogers Cup men’s tennis tournament Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
MONTREAL — Top-seeded Rafael Nadal rallied to reach the Rogers Cup semifinals Friday night, beating No. 7 Fabio Fognini of Italy 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The winner last year in Toronto for his fourth title in the event, Nadal won his 380th ATP Masters 1000 match, a day after breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the tour record. Nadal has 82 singles victories, winning the French Open in June for his second title of the year.
“It was an up-and-down match, but a positive match for me,” Nadal said. “I have been playing better and better.”
In the semifinals, the 33-year-old Spanish star will face No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain or No. 16 Gael Monfils of France. That quarterfinal was postponed until Saturday due to inclement weather with Monfils leading 30-0 in the first game of the first set.
Fognini beat Nadal in their last meeting in the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals.
“I lost things on the road, so I just tried to add other things,” Nadal said. “One of the things that I’m most satisfied with is I’ve been able to always find a solution to keep being competitive at the highest level.”
In the afternoon, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov set up an all-Russian semifinal.
The eighth-seeded Medvedev beat second-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-3, 6-1, and the sixth-seeded Khachanov topped third-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-3, 6-3.
