"Important victory against a great player" says Nadal after win over Zverev

Rafael Nadal is through to the Rome Masters semifinal after a win over Alexander Zverev in straight sets.

It was a very good match from Rafael Nadal who defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-4 to move on to the Rome Masters semifinal. The Spanish player was the better player from start to finish playing more aggressive than Zverev who looked tired from his stellar run in Madrid the past week.

After the match Nadal said:

“[I am] happy. I played a very solid match with not many mistakes, playing the way that I have to. [It is] an important victory for me against a great player.”

Today the conditions favoured Nadal more than they did Zverev which preferred those in Madrid. Talking about the match Nadal said:

“I think I played more solid than in Madrid. At the same time, conditions are different. In Madrid, he was able to create a lot of damage with his serve and then with the first shot. Here, the situation is a little bit different. [These are] a little bit more normal conditions on the clay, so I was able to control a little bit more the game than in Madrid.”

For Nadal it is not getting any easier as he will face Reilly Opelka in the semifinal. The American has showcased a serving clinic so far at the event and on that matchup Nadal said:

“[I will face] a big chance against a player who has almost an unreturnable serve. [Reilly] is playing well. I need to be very focused with my serve and then try to be ready to accept [the situation] and be [engaged] on the return. That is what I am looking for.”