Nadal breaks McEnroe’s 34-year record in Madrid but Del Potro, Sharapova, Halep beaten

By Daily Sports on May 11, 2018

RAFAEL NADAL BROKE John McEnroe’s 34-year record on Thursday by winning his 50th consecutive set on clay at the Madrid Open.

But while the world number one cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Diego Schwartzman, Juan Martin del Potro, Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep all crashed out.

Nadal’s straight-sets victory means he establishes a new Open era best for consecutive sets won on a single surface, passing McEnroe’s 49 on carpet in 1984.

McEnroe also won the Madrid Open Indoor title that year and Nadal may be about to follow suit in the Spanish capital, with Austrian Dominic Thiem up next in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Del Potro, however, will not join him in the last eight, the Argentinian leading 4-0 in a third-set tie-break but still losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) to Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic.

Lajovic will now face South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, who overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber.

"I think I can improve a lot of things towards Rome and Roland Garros,” Del Potro said. “I can level up my game. Right now I’m quite calm.”

Sharapova also lost in three sets to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands while Halep, the champion in 2016 and 2017, was blown away by Karolina Pliskova.

It means Pliskova, the sixth seed, is the highest-ranked player left in the women’s draw after Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko all lost earlier in the week.

Pliskova’s 6-4, 6-3 win sets up a showdown with either two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or the talented Russian Daria Kasatkina for a place in the final on Saturday.

“Even in the warm-up I felt so good today,” Pliskova said.

Halep said: “Today she didn’t miss. I didn’t play badly in my opinion.

“I missed in some important moments, that’s why it went her way but I’m not very disappointed about this match. She deserved to win.”

Sharapova is set to climb inside the top 40 next week and the 31-year-old will be encouraged by her week’s work, where she showed signs she is finding her rhythm.

The Russian arrived on the back of four consecutive defeats but three victories and a narrow 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 loss to Bertens suggests she could be a threat at the French Open later this month.

“It was great to get those wins against those players,” said Sharapova, the 2014 champion in Madrid.

Bertens, meanwhile, will now face France’s Caroline Garcia, who eased past Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-3.

Novak Djokovic’s conqueror, Kyle Edmund, maintained his strong run with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win over eighth seed David Goffin.

Edmund will face Denis Shapovalov, who came through his all-Canadian clash with Milos Raonic, 6-4, 6-4.

Second seed Alexander Zverev beat Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer and will now take on John Isner, who beat Pablo Cuevas. (AFP)

•Photo shows Nadal

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 11, 2018


 

You may also like...
Amuneke takes up Heartland role

Kevin De Bruyne's first-half masterclass enough to beat...

FG reaches out to IKEME

Asamoah Gyan recalled to Ghana squad for AFCON...

Falconets depart for Papua New Guinea on Sunday...

Liverpool Hierarchy Baffled By Mane Transfer Rumours

 

Latest News Lagos SWAN Appoints SWANECO As Buildup To Election Begins Esther Okoronkwo: Canadian club hails Super Falcons star who stepped up when it mattered in WAFCON final Super Falcons Over Ran Morocco In Grudge Comeback Game Confirming Mission X Isak situation has to be right for Newcastle - Howe Hojlund's fight to answer Man Utd's striker question Inter to make €45m Lookman offer next week Man Utd won't sell players on the cheap - Amorim Players fear consequences of speaking out - Fifpro Messi ‘very upset’ after MLS suspension for All-Star no-show WAFCON 2024 Finale: The Grudge Game Of Wits, Brawns Ensues As Hosts Morocco Dares Nigeria Late Drama as Morocco Files Shock Petition to Disqualify Nigeria’s Plumptre & Alozie Hours Before Final Newcastle consider Sesko amid Isak uncertainty

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,598 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,768 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,767 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (44,362 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (44,360 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (44,345 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (44,161 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,709 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,808 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,428 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,861 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (39,292 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media