Rafael Nadal eases into semi-finals

Nadal won the first nine games of an eagerly anticipated encounter against Novak Djokovic’s conqueror, Thiem, in a 6-0, 6-2 victory over 68 minutes to remain on course to capture an 11th crown at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he has a 66-4 record. Nadal, with a 394-35 mark (.918) in clay-court matches in his illustrious career, will next look to beat Monte-Carlo resident and fourth-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov for the 12th time in their 13th meeting on Saturday. Nadal has won 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies.

Nadal’s consistency in groundstroke length that took time away from Thiem, his quick footwork in exploiting any short ball and the variety of pace ensured that the Spanish superstar capitalised on his Austrian opponent’s erratic patterns of play. It wasn’t until 52 minutes had passed that Thiem won his first game, a hold to Advantage for 3-1, which was cheered loudly by the capacity crowd  on Court Rainier III, the main show court.