Sharapova, the 2004 champion, was joinedon Tuesday at the exit by 2011 and 2014 winner Petra Kvitova who was stunned by Belarusian world number 50 Aliaksandra Sasnovich. However, two-time men’s champion Rafael Nadal and three-time winner Novak Djokovic eased into the second round. Sharapova was cruising to victory at one stage on Court Two with … Read more
The 32-year-old world number one now has 17 Grand Slam titles, just three behind great rival Roger Federer. Nadal endured a nervy conclusion to the final, however, when he needed treatment in the fourth game of the third set for a finger injury before sealing victory on a fifth match point when Thiem fired a … Read more
Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam champion, claimed his 85th win in Paris against just two losses after weathering a big-hitting opening from 2009 US Open winner Del Potro to win 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. In his 24th Grand Slam final, Nadal will face Thiem who ended Marco Cecchinato’s French Open fairytale, reaching his first major final … Read more
The win gave the Spaniard his 56th title on clay – eight of them in Rome – and he will reclaim the world number one ranking from Roger Federer when the revised ATP standings are released on Monday. Despite breaking to love in the first game, Nadal made a shaky start, losing his serve in the opening … Read more
The Spanish top seed will meet second-seeded holder Alexander Zverev, a 7-6 (15/13) 7-5 winner over Australian Open finalist Marin Cilic yesterday. His impressive win over Djokovic will give Nadal added confidence ahead of the French Open, where he has won a record 10 titles. Nadal, still unbeaten in semi-finals at the Foro Italico, unleashed … Read more
Thiem, who lost to Nadal in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals last month, was the last player to beat the Spaniard on clay – at last year’s Rome Masters. Nadal had set a record of winning 50 consecutive sets on a single surface by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Thursday. Nadal’s exit means Roger Federer will … Read more
The Mallorcan surpassed John McEnroe’s previous record of 49 consecutive sets on carpet which had stood since 1984 by seeing off 13th seed Schwartzman and claiming a 21st consecutive win on clay. Nadal will face Austrian Dominic Thiem in the last eight on Friday in pursuit of a sixth Madrid Open title after beginning the … Read more
