Rafael Nadal gave journalists an unexpected scoop when he accidentally broke an Australian Open story before organizers had the chance to … Nadal beaten by Schwartzman in Rome quarters, Nishikori rallies to beat Opelka in Dubai, Clijsters pulls out of Miami, Charleston tourneys, Muguruza wins Dubai Open after 2-year title wait, Basilashvili wins Qatar Open to win 4th ATP title, Medvedev to meet Herbert in Open 13 final, Bautista Agut tops Rublev in Qatar Open semis, Muguruza beats Mertens in Dubai to reach final, Tsitsipas out at Open 13, Medvedev through, Federer falls in Qatar, withdraws from Dubai, Muguruza, Pegula advance to Dubai fourth round, Federer posts win at Qatar Open after year layoff, Tsonga fights back to claim victory in Marseille, Federer's comeback to start vs. victorious Evans, Djokovic passes Federer for most weeks as No. Nadal, a nine-time champion in Rome, had never lost to the 15th-ranked Schwartzman in nine previous meetings. While Nadal won his opening two matches this week in straight sets, his rustiness showed from the start against Schwartzman. The other semifinal will feature last year's French Open runner-up, Marketa Vondrousova, against fellow Czech and defending champion Karolina Pliskova. "Conditions out there was much heavier than the previous days in terms of the bounces of the ball,'' Nadal said. Schwartzman came up with a series of clutch shots, perhaps none better than during the second game of the second set when he won a 17-shot rally to save a break point by running down a drop shot and passing Nadal with a forehand that landed on the line. Nadal, who chose not to play in the US Open because of travel concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, had not played a tournament since winning a title in Acapulco, Mexico, in February. He did a great job.''. 2 … Nadal, a … Rafael Nadal was beaten by Schwartzman in Italian open held in Rome. Italian Open. "I really want to win this tournament," added Halep, who will be playing her fifth semifinal in Rome. Nadal, 34, won his first Rome title back in 2005, and is bidding for a third consecutive crown on clay in the Italian capital and 10th in total. Felix Auger-Aliassime says Rafael Nadal is the ‘big favourite’ for the Italian Open in Rome despite him not playing competitive tennis for months. For two months during the lockdown, Nadal said, he didn't touch a tennis racket. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Italian Open 2020: 9-time champion Rafael Nadal defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets as he made a successful return to tennis after having skipped the Western and Southern Open and the US Open in New York due to Covid-19 pandemic. Halep, who lost two straight finals in Rome to Elina Svitolina in 2017 and 2018, will need to beat two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza to return to the championship match. Nadal beaten by Schwartzman in Rome quarters, Nishikori rallies to beat Opelka in Dubai, Clijsters pulls out of Miami, Charleston tourneys, Muguruza wins Dubai Open after 2-year title wait, Basilashvili wins Qatar Open to win 4th ATP title, Medvedev to meet Herbert in Open 13 final, Bautista Agut tops Rublev in Qatar Open semis, Muguruza beats Mertens in Dubai to reach final, Tsitsipas out at Open 13, Medvedev through, Federer falls in Qatar, withdraws from Dubai, Muguruza, Pegula advance to Dubai fourth round, Federer posts win at Qatar Open after year layoff, Tsonga fights back to claim victory in Marseille, Federer's comeback to start vs. victorious Evans, Djokovic passes Federer for most weeks as No. Defending champion Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made winning returns at the Italian Open on Wednesday with the top two men's seeds easing into … He won the title for the first time since 2013 in Rome. In the 53 previous … In the QF, he lost to Diego Schwartzman 2–6, 5–7. Rafael Nadal is the defending champion at the Italian Open 2019. "At least I played three matches.''. The Spaniard powered through the first set in … ROME -- Rafael Nadal's first tournament in seven months ended with a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Saturday. Playing his first match in over six months, Nadal defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets. The No. Muguruza required more than two hours to eliminate US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. "I'm going to keep working and keep practicing with the right attitude and I'm going to try to give [myself] a chance to be ready,'' Nadal said. It's one of the biggest goals now.". Rafael Nadal BEATS Novak Djokovic to win his ninth Italian Open RAFAEL NADAL has beaten Novak Djokovic to win his ninth Italian Open and his … "It's a completely special year -- an unpredictable year,'' Nadal said. In the women's tournament, top-seeded Simona Halep reached the last four when Kazakh opponent Yulia Putintseva retired midway through their match with a lower back injury. For two months during the lockdown, Nadal said, he didn't touch a tennis racket. Rafael Nadal had won the Italian Open nine times in his career. 1, Coco saves 2 match points in early Dubai win, Tauson claims first career title at Lyon Open, Rublev to play Fucsovics in Rotterdam final, Tauson sets up final against Golubic in Lyon, Kvitova defeats Muguruza to seal Qatar title, Djokovic loses his cool again, advances in Italy. "It was my best match ever," Schwartzman said. 1, Coco saves 2 match points in early Dubai win, Tauson claims first career title at Lyon Open, Rublev to play Fucsovics in Rotterdam final, Tauson sets up final against Golubic in Lyon, Kvitova defeats Muguruza to seal Qatar title, Djokovic loses his cool again, advances in Italy. Rafael Nadal is preparing his return to tennis after a seven-month layoff at next week’s Italian Open. Muguruza required more than two hours to eliminate US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Vondrousova beat Svitolina 6-3, 6-0, and Pliskova defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. Top seed Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Italian Open after securing respective wins in their second-round matches of … He had won all nine matches […] Nadal's first match back was against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, which he won 6–1, 6–1. The other semifinal will feature last year's French Open runner-up, Marketa Vondrousova, against fellow Czech and defending champion Karolina Pliskova. Nadal, a nine-time champion in Rome, had never lost to the 15th-ranked Schwartzman in nine previous meetings. "Losing that many serves, you can't expect to win a match,'' Nadal said. The 12-time French Open champion is returning to competition, having not played since winning in Acapulco in February. This year's French Open begins on Sunday, Sept. 27. I know how to do it.". ROME -- Rafael Nadal's first tournament in seven months ended with a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Saturday. Top seed Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Italian Open after securing respective wins in their second-round matches of the ongoing tournament. "So something that I have to fix. Rafael Nadal will be bidding for his 13th French Open title as he aims to come back on track following his non-participation in the US Open … Entering the match, she had been on court for 7 hours, 22 minutes -- far more than Halep, who had a bye in the opening round and won her next two matches in straight sets. Earlier, Novak Djokovic lost his cool again midway through a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Dominik Koepfer -- less than two weeks after getting defaulted from the US Open. The Associated Press contributed to this report. (CNN)Rafael Nadal remains on course to earn his record-breaking 21st grand slam at the Australian Open with a comfortable victory over Fabio Fognini on Monday. Schwartzman will next face Denis Shapovalov, who held off Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Djokovic lost the 2019 final to Nadal, who remains on course for a 10th Italian Open title. "It was my best match ever," Schwartzman said. Nadal, who has won nine Italian Opens, is gearing up for next week's French Open, which he has won 12 times. Entering the match, she had been on court for 7 hours, 22 minutes -- far more than Halep, who had a bye in the opening round and won her next two matches in straight sets. Defending champion Rafa Nadal knocked out of the Italian Open with a remarkable performance by Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals beating Rafa with 6-2 7-5. Halep was ahead 6-2, 2-0 when Putintseva decided she was in too much pain to continue -- having already taken an off-court medical timeout between sets. Defending champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Italian Open with a stunning 6-2, 7-5 defeat by Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals on Saturday. I know how to do it.". Rafael Nadal, the nine-time Rome champion looked well off the pace in his 6-2 7-5 loss to the 15th-ranked Argentine, an opponent he had defeated nine straight times heading into the Italian Open. He now has one week to regroup before he attempts to win a record-extending 13th French Open title. Nadal suggested he struggled with the humidity on a warm evening. Rafael Nadal Sweeps Into Italian Open Quarter-Finals Rafael Nadal has returned this week in Rome after a six-month coronavirus-enforced break … ROME -- Rafael Nadal’s first tournament in seven months ended with a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Saturday. Rafael Nadal’s first tournament in seven months ended with a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Saturday. Nadal, a … Rafael Nadal dominated for stretches against longtime rival Novak Djokovic in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win Sunday for a record-extending ninth Italian Open title. ROME -- Rafael Nadal's first tournament in seven months ended with a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Saturday. French Open Halep improved to 8-0 since the tennis restart and 12-0 overall stretching back to February. Rafael Nadal destroyed Novak Djokovic in the opening stages of the Italian Open final on Sunday to secure a 6-0 first-set victory. "At least I played three matches.''. But Schwartzman dictated the baseline rallies and produced a series of drop-shot winners as Nadal uncharacteristically made unforced errors and struggled to get his first serve into play. Nadal committed nearly twice as many unforced errors as Schwartzman, 30 to 17, and won only 29 of 63 points on his serve -- resulting in five breaks. In the next round, he played Serb Dušan Lajović, whom he defeated 6–1, 6–3. The Spaniard said: "I played at I think a very positive level of tennis. "I love playing here. "It's a big challenge. "I'm going to keep working and keep practicing with the right attitude and I'm going to try to give [myself] a chance to be ready,'' Nadal said. "Losing that many serves, you can't expect to win a match,'' Nadal said. "Conditions out there was much heavier than the previous days in terms of the bounces of the ball,'' Nadal said. "[Muguruza] feels really well on [the] clay court and here," Halep said. "It's a completely special year -- an unpredictable year,'' Nadal said. Rafael Nadal successfully retained his Italian Open title on Sunday by beating top seed Novak Djokovic in three sets in Rome. "So something that I have to fix. World No.2 Rafael Nadal made a scintillating comeback on the tour at the Italian Open 2020. He did a great job.''. You have come to the ESPN Africa edition, for other ESPN editions, click above. "[Muguruza] feels really well on [the] clay court and here," Halep said.