Rafael Nadal faced a sterner test today in Monte Carlo but still came through without dropping a set, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka, 7-5, 6-4, to move into the semifinals.
This was Wawrinka’s eighth straight-sets defeat to Nadal, and it’s easy to pin that record primarily on the Swiss’ one-handed backhand, but actually it was his stronger shot today, generating most of his winners during a performance that at times recalled his days inside the Top 10. Wawrinka, currently ranked 26th, opened the match poorly by being broken in his first service game. Wawrinka recovered quickly, however, and began to play high-class tennis, pounding Nadal’s backhand to work his way inside the court and showcase some excellent volleys, as the Spaniard’s shots began to drop shorter and shorter inside the court. Nadal should have held at 4-3, leading 40-15, but three consecutive errors gave up a break point that Wawrinka took in a scintillating rally, matching the world No. 2 shot for shot to get back on serve. A poor smash—not the only one Wawrinka played today—gave Nadal two break points to strike back immediately, but some great serving left Rafa shaking his head in frustration as he walked back to the chair, facing the prospect of having to serve to stay in a set he had been dominating.
Not for nothing, however, is that Nadal the seven-time defending champion here. He held to love with a well-executed drop volley and pin-point forehand winner to put the pressure immediately back on his opponent. It was then Wawrinka’s turn to drop serve from 40-15 up, not helped by another missed smash followed by a lucky netcord for Nadal. If his returning was poor, Nadal’s serving was excellent today, and he held for the first set, 7-5.
The match never reached the same levels of excitement again as Nadal, always a good front-runner, took charge immediately in the second set. He appeared to focus on doing the basics well—landing strong first serves and hitting deep on the second shot—and once that fell into place, the problems he encountered in the first set largely disappeared. Wawrinka did well to keep the deficit to a single break, but there were no last-minute hiccups for Nadal today as he served out the match to love, sealing it with an ace.
As Wawrinka left the court, Nadal applauded him politely, a gesture that testified to the inspired tennis that the decided underdog had played for large stretches of the match. Having withstood that barrage will stand Nadal in good stead for his semifinal encounter with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Gilles Simon.