Rafael Nadal reached his 15th Roland Garros quarter-final in 2021, failing to enter the last eight only twice at his beloved Major! Rafa met the young gun Jannik Sinner in the fourth round and scored a 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 triumph in two hours and 17 minutes.
Nadal fired 31 winners and 30 unforced errors to leave the youngster behind
. The Spaniard suffered four breaks but took 60% of the return points and turned them into nine return games, controlling the scoreboard from 3-5 in the opener.
Rafa had a massive advantage in the shortest and mid-range exchanges, taking power off his opponent and arranging the Diego Schwartzman clash. Jannik made over 20 unforced errors in the opening set and still fought well to open a 5-3 advantage.
Like in Rome, Rafa produced a comeback to take four straight games, steal the opener and gain momentum. Nadal held at love with an ace in the opening game and secured a break in the next one when Sinner sent a forehand wide.
Rafael Nadal defeated Jannik Sinner for the third time at Roland Garros 2021.
The Spaniard netted a routine backhand in the third game to get broken and lose ground. Sinner grabbed another break at 2-2 to move in front for the first time.
The Italian saved a break point at 3-2 and opened a 5-3 advantage, moving closer to clinching the opener. Rafa broke back at love at 4-5 when Jannik hit a double fault, and a boost switched to his side. Nadal used it and grabbed another return game at 6-5 to secure the opener after an hour.
Riding on that wave, the Spaniard rattled off the opening four games of set number two to build a massive advantage. Sinner pulled one break after Nadal’s double fault in game five and moved back to 3-4 with another break in game seven following a backhand crosscourt winner at the net.
Starting all over, Rafa delivered a break in game eight when his rival sprayed a backhand mistake and closed the set with a service winner at 5-3 for a massive advantage. Jannik had nothing more left in the tank in the third set, dropping all six games to end his run in the fourth round and keep Rafa on the title course.
“I had a mental drop at 4-0 in the second set. Still, I recovered my game from the eighth game and never looked back, earning a bagel in the third. I must find a solution for certain problems, even though I made a strong finish against Jannik.
I can not lose that many games in a row, and I have to be more aggressive in those moments and get back as soon as possible. We are in the event’s final stages, and it’s essential to play well from start to finish without oscillations.
I have done many good things in the past weeks, starting from winning Rome. Still, I lack focus at some points. Besides that, I have played well. Jannik Sinner is a tough opponent, and I beat him in straight sets. I’m not pleased with my second serve here in Paris, and we must work on that.
I do not think the problem is in a service motion; I’m just not relaxed enough, and will try to fix that,” Rafael Nadal said.
