London: Rafael Nadal advanced to the semifinals at the ATP Finals for the first time in five years. In the process Rafa Nadal knocked out the defending champion, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the O2 Arena here. It is the sixth time in 10 appearances that Nadal has reached the last four of the season-ending tournament. However, it is the biggest title he has yet to win in his illustrious careers.
Earlier Thursday, the already eliminated Andrey Rublev beat US Open champion Dominic Thiem 6-2, 7-5. However, the contest had little real consequence for either player. Thiem was assured of winning the group after beating Tsitsipas and Nadal in the first two rounds.
Nadal never looked threatened on his serve against Tsitsipas until the final game of the second set. He double-faulted to hand the Greek a way back into the match.
“I think I was winning my serves quite comfortably until that moment,” Nadal said. “After that, everything changed,” the Spaniard added.
Suddenly, neither player could hold serve as the third set started with three straight breaks, with Nadal taking a 2-1 lead. The Spaniard finally held and broke again for a 5-2 lead before the clinching the win on his second match point.
Nadal improved to 6-1 against Tsitsipas in their encounters. He will play Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals Saturday. Thiem will face Friday the winner between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.