World No. 1 Rafael Nadal suffered a surprise 2-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 semi-final defeat by unseeded Spanish compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the Thailand Open yesterday.
The US Open champion looked set to cruise into the final after a polished first-set performance, but had no reply to Garcia-Lopez’s thrilling fightback that led to a second-set tiebreak during which Nadal’s game started to unravel.
The 53rd-ranked Garcia-Lopez will face Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, who continued his impressive run with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Germany’s Benjamin Becker to reach his first final of the season.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Nadal only had himself to blame for squandering 24 of 26 break-points and making costly errors in a scintillating final set. He lost his cool and handed the advantage to his opponent midway through the grueling 2 hour, 45 minute encounter.
Garcia-Lopez sought treatment for hip and back injuries after the first set, but showed his resolve by keeping Nadal at bay and frustrating him with pinpoint forehands and precise drop-shots.
“I’ve never beaten a world No. 1 before, this was the best match of my career,” Garcia-Lopez told reporters. “I knew that if I thought about beating Rafa Nadal, I’d have a problem, so I tried not to think about it.”
The turning point came in the fourth game of deciding set, when Nadal, who also holds the Wimbledon and French Open crowns, needlessly drove a simple smash into the net.
Garcia-Lopez then made his break, chasing after Nadal’s poorly struck drop-shot and blasting the ball down the line to steal an advantage he never gave up.
“He took his chance and after that I lost chance after chance,” Nadal said. “He never gave in. I gave up too many chances. It was one of those matches — I probably have one like that every two years.”
In the other semi-final, Nieminen had both the edge and the fortitude in a close battle with the hard-hitting German and was made to work for his victory.
Nieminen served well and made the break in the second game, coolly handling Becker’s repertoire of spin-loaded returns that had him pinned down and darting around the court in a match packed with long rallies.
Becker worked tirelessly to get back into the match, but paid the price for too many wayward shots.
“It feels great to be back in the final, it’s been a long time and it really feels like a long time,” Nieminen said. “I felt good, I haven’t dropped a set and I’m playing really well. I just need to keep executing my game.”
MALAYSIAN OPEN
AFP, KUALA LUMPUR
Fourth seed and US Open semi-finalist Mikhail Youzhny won an all-Russian tie at the Malaysian Open yesterday, reaching the final with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over compatriot Igor Andreev.
The winner of one trophy this season, in Munich, will play today against eighth-seeded Kazak Andrey Golubev, who beat No. 5 Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) in their semi-final.
Youzhny defeated Andreev, a qualifier who once reached the top 20, in just over 90 minutes.
“It was a tough match,” said Youzhny, who reached his fourth final of the year. “He played really well in the first set, but since he’s coming back from injuries, his level dropped in the second and I was able to go through. I’m not thinking about another title, I just want to keep my level the way it is now.”
Youzhny now stands 3-1 against Andreev, whose last ATP title came five years ago.
World No. 9 Youzhny is fighting to qualify for the eight-man season-ending event in London from Nov. 21.
Youzhny broke Andreev five times to earn his 38th win of the season against 15 losses. His only title so far came on clay in Munich last May.
Youzhny will be playing for a trophy after losing back-to-back finals in February against Sweden’s Robin Soderling (Rotterdam) and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (Dubai).
Andreev, now ranked No. 102, was appearing in only his second semi-final of the year after his last at this level in Brazil in February. He has not reached a final since 2008.
Golubev needed just under two hours to eliminate Ferrer, who beat him on clay last spring in Monte Carlo.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care