Rafael Nadal

Top seeds Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty both advanced during Wednesday's play in the 2021 Madrid Open at the Manzanares Park Tennis Center in Spain.

Nadal, a five-time tournament champion, won his second-round match against Spanish countryman Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. Barty needed three sets to move past ninth-seeded Petra Kvitova for a berth in the women's semifinals.

Let's check out all of the scores from Wednesday's clay-court action. That's followed by a recap of some key storylines.

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Men's Results (Second Round)

(1) Rafael Nadal d. Carlos Alcaraz; 6-1, 6-2

(2) Daniil Medvedev d. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina; 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. Benoit Paire; 6-1, 6-2

(5) Alexander Zverev d. Kei Nishikori; 6-3, 6-2

Aslan Karatsev d. (7) Diego Schwartzman; 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

John Isner d. (9) Roberto Bautista Agut; 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6)

Alexei Popyrin d. (14) Jannik Sinner; 7-6 (5), 6-2

(16) Cristian Garin d. Dominik Koepfer; 6-3, 6-4

Dan Evans d. John Millman; 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3

Federico Delbonis d. Albert Ramos Vinolas; 7-6 (5), 6-3

Casper Ruud d. Yoshihito Nishioka; 6-1, 6-2

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Women's Results (Quarterfinals)

(1) Ashleigh Barty d. Petra Kvitova; 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

(5) Aryna Sabalenka d. (13) Elise Mertens; 6-1, 4-0 ret.

Paula Badosa d. (8) Belinda Bencic; 6-4, 7-5

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. Karolina Muchova; 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2)

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Day 5 Recap

Nadal is following his yearly trend of rounding into peak form just in time for the French Open, which is scheduled to begin May 30.

The King of Clay won the Barcelona Open last month and kicked off his run in Madrid with a dominant showing against Alcaraz, a newly 18-year-old rising star who was simply outclassed Wednesday after beating Adrian Mannarino with relative ease in the opening round.

Not to be today...

A stunning display of tennis from @RafaelNadal, who sees off birthday boy Alcaraz 6-1 6-2 in Madrid!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/RvQCGWJdbw

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 5, 2021

Nadal won 81 percent of the points on his first serve and 63 percent of all points on Alcaraz's serve to earn five breaks, advancing to Round 3 in just 75 minutes.

"He has a lot of potential. He's young and [a] good guy," Nadal told reporters. "He already has a great level of tennis today, but I really believe that he's going to be a fantastic player in the near future."

Meanwhile, Medvedev survived an early test from Davidovich Fokina by bouncing back after dropping the first set to move through.

The 25-year-old Russian typically struggles on clay—he's never advanced beyond the first round of the French Open in four tries—and this marks his first tournament on the surface in 2021.

CONFIRMED: @DaniilMedwed does NOT like playing on clay 😬#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/8fT4z03q2k

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 5, 2021

It wasn't his most efficient performance as he converted just five of the 16 break points he generated, but he came up with enough clutch points in the final two sets to fend off the upset bid.

"I am happy with the win," Medvedev said. "The first set wasn't easy and I thought it was going to be where I had another 25 break points and I wouldn't win. I finally played quite well and did well in the third set. I think Madrid is a little faster than other clay tournaments, so better for my game."

On the women's side, Barty's challenge from Kvitova was the second time in the tournament she was forced to a third set. She also went the distance against Tamara Zidansek in the second round.

The 2019 French Open champion, who skipped most of last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, collected six aces and collected four breaks for her 15th straight win on clay.

"It's just always staying in the fight," Barty said. "Always staying in the hunt and never letting it slide away. That certainly doesn't guarantee results, doesn't guarantee success. It guarantees you give yourself the best chance to do what you do and to figure it out and to find your way."

A DAZZLING end to the point... 😎

Especially for @ashbarty 🤪#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/IkUPOKH2gB

— wta (@WTA) May 5, 2021

Her chief competition for the Madrid title figures to come from fifth-seeded Sabalenka, who won 10 of the 11 games played against Mertens before the Belgian's retirement.

Sabalenka has reached the semis without losing more than three games in any of her eight sets. Her last two losses have come to Barty in the Miami Open quarters and the Stuttgart final, a stretch that includes three wins over seeded opponents, including No. 2 Simona Halep.

Four for the 🏆 in Madrid.

🇦🇺 Barty
🇪🇸 Badosa
🇧🇾 Sabalenka
🇷🇺 Pavlyuchenkova pic.twitter.com/zZrceugwa2

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) May 5, 2021

Her recent play has established her as a serious contender for the French Open and, in the short term, makes her a clear favorite in the penultimate round Pavlyuchenkova to set up another likely showdown with Barty, who's set to face Badosa on the opposite side of the bracket.

Play in the Madrid Open continues Thursday with the women's semifinals and the men's third round.

Rafael Nadal is the champion at the Barcelona Open for the 12th time.

It's another 🏆 for Rafael Nadal!

He win his 12th Barcelona title!

(via @TennisTV)
pic.twitter.com/7IUy3cXO3D

— Stadium (@Stadium) April 25, 2021

The 34-year-old came from behind to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 and earn the title in what was the longest ATP Tour match of the year so far at three hours, 38 minutes. 

The King of Barcelona retains his throne 👑

🎥: @TennisTV | @RafaelNadal | #BCNOpenBSpic.twitter.com/8iFRUcsXNi

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 25, 2021

Nadal ended up dropping three sets throughout his tournament run, making this year the first in which he has won the title after losing more than one set. He is now 12-0 in Barcelona finals matches and owns a record 61 tour trophies on clay courts, a figure that is 12 ahead of second-place Guillermo Vilas. 

Tsitsipas, who entered off of his first Masters 1000 title win at the Monte-Carlo Masters, appeared in prime position to earn his first ATP 500 tournament victory. He entered the match with a 9-0 record on clay courts this season, going 17-0 in clay sets. 

He forced Nadal to save the championship point and fight to earn the victory through three straight games in the final set. 

Nadal will climb to No. 2 in the ATP rankings on Monday, overtaking Daniil Medvedev. 

Andrey Rublev shocked 11-time champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters on Friday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dan Evans and Casper Ruud, who knocked off defending champ Fabio Fognini, were the other players to punch their tickets to the clay-court tournament's semifinals at Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.

Let's check out all of the scores from Friday's play followed by a recap of the action.

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Quarterfinal Results

(6) Andrey Rublev d. (3) Rafael Nadal 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5, ret.

Dan Evans d. (11) David Goffin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4

Casper Ruud d. (15) Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3

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Friday Recap

Nadal's consistent dominance on clay over the past two decades make performances like he had against Rublev a rare reminder that he's still human on his favorite surface.

The 13-time French Open champion could never find a rhythm with his serve and failed to make up for it with his defense, racking up 36 unforced errors and seven double faults. Rublev took full advantage of the steady stream of mistakes.

While the sixth seed wasn't overpowering, he won 50 percent of the points on Nadal's serve and turned that into seven breaks, including three in the third set, to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career.

"I don't even know what to say. I cannot imagine being in the situation of Rafa, knowing that you are the best player on clay and you have that pressure every time," Rublev said. "I think for him it must be incredibly tough every time. I am in shock [with] the way he is playing under this pressure and that is why he is a legend."

Un-BWEEH-lievable 🤯@AndreyRublev97 upsets childhood idol Nadal 6-2 4-6 6-2 in a thriller to reach the Monte Carlo last 4!#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/auQdEcV4Gg

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 16, 2021

The Russian advanced to face Ruud in the semifinals. The 22-year-old Norwegian is on quite a roll with three straight wins over seeded opponents   No. 7 Diego Schwartzman, No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta and No. 15 Fognini.

Rudd's triumph over Fognini came down to his terrific play with his back against the wall. He saved six of the seven break points he faced and converted three breaks of his own to advance.

Rublev holds a 3-0 advantage in their prior ATP Tour meetings.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas will benefit from a little extra rest as his quarterfinal came to a premature conclusion with Davidovich Fokina forced to withdraw after a hard-fought first set. The Spaniard originally injured his ankle/foot in the previous round against Lucas Pouille, per CNN's Ravi Ubha.

Tsitsipas has reached the semis without dropping a set.

"I am happy to be at the place where I am right now. ... I am happy with my performance today. I think I fought really hard. Even in difficult moments, I was putting out my best tennis," Tsitsipas said. "I saw he got injured in the middle of the first set, and I took advantage of it [and] tried to make him play."

The Greek will take on Evans, who narrowly escaped a three-set encounter with Dusan Lajovic in the opening round and has caught fire ever since. He's also defeated Hubert Hurkacz, who won the Miami Open earlier this month, top seed Novak Djokovic and now Goffin to earn a semifinal berth.

It was a match of missed opportunities for Goffin, who generated 17 break-point opportunities but only managed to covert two of them in the three-set loss.

The Dream Run Continues 💪

British No. 1 Dan Evans follows win over Djokovic with a 5-7 6-3 6-4 win over Goffin to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final!#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/CCrAxylIMR

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 16, 2021

Tsitsipas has won both of his prior Tour matchups with Evans.

The tournament's semifinals will take place Saturday, with the championship match Sunday.

One of the biggest dominoes fell Thursday in the Monte Carlo Masters. Daniel Evans sent top-seeded Novak Djokovic packing in the third round.

Djokovic wasn't the only notable star eliminated, as Alexander Zverev was unable to overcome David Goffin. Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, didn't have much trouble with Grigor Dimitrov.

Here's a look at how the action unfolded in the south of France.

           

Thursday Results

Daniel Evans def. No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5

No. 3 Rafael Nadal def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-1

No. 4 Stefanos Tstisipas def. No. 16 Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-4

No. 11 David Goffin def. No. 5 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6(7)

No. 6 Andrey Rublev def. No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-3

Casper Ruud def. No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-5

No. 15 Fabio Fognini def. Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 7-6(1)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Lucas Pouille 6-2, 7-6(2)

           

Recap

Like Nadal, Djokovic hadn't competed in an ATP Tour event since the Australian Open prior to entering the Monte Carlo Masters. He faced a tough challenge from Jannik Sinner in the first set of their second-round encounter but then cruised to a straight-set victory.

Evans wasn't as easy to dispatch.

Djokovic quickly fell into an 0-3 hole in the opening frame before battling back. He earned a service break to tie the set at four games apiece before Evans responded with a break of his own and then held to claim the set.

In the second set, it was Djokovic's turn to jump out to an early lead. Unfortunately for the 18-time major champion, he couldn't maintain that pace as Evans took seven of the final nine games.

Who saw that coming? 👀

Dan Evans beats the World No. 1 to make the last eight in Monte-Carlo!pic.twitter.com/rAbx4gvTVR

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 15, 2021

Evans said in his post-match interview the result "[hadn't] sunk in yet":

"I couldn't quite believe the last ball went over the net. It nearly didn't. I was pleased, regardless, with how I was playing coming into the match. I felt good. You can never be confident coming into such a big match like that against Novak. It is clearly a big win and I am delighted that I got through, especially being a break down and [having had] little difficulties in the first set. It was really pleasing and I am delighted."

Nadal, on the other hand, was dominant against Dimitrov. The 34-year-old looks locked in on winning a 12 Monte Carlo Masters title.

He finished Thursday with three aces while winning 79 percent of his first-service points and 77 percent of his points on second serve. He also failed to surrender a single break-point opportunity over the course of the match.

Done in an hour 😳@RafaelNadal storms into the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals for the 16th consecutive time - beating Dimitrov 6-1 6-1#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/lA3B0CbFHg

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 15, 2021

Nadal offered a blunt analysis of his opponent's performance.

"[I am] sorry for him. He played a bad match," he said. "That is the truth. He made a lot of mistakes. I was there. I was doing the right thing, but it is true that today was more his fault than my good tennis."

Dimitrov explained how he's dealing with a "massive tooth problem" that has disrupted his sleep and eating habits, which would account for how far off the pace he was Thursday.  

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal cruised through to the third round of the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters with straight-set victories Wednesday at Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.

Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Roberto Bautista Agut were the other top-10 seeds to advance, while Diego Schwartzman was upset. Hubert Hurkacz, who won the Miami Open title earlier this month, was also eliminated.

Let's take a look at the complete list of scores from Wednesday's clay-court action. That's followed by a closer look at some of the most noteworthy results.

              

Wednesday's Second-Round Scores

(1) Novak Djokovic d. Jannik Sinner; 6-4, 6-2

(3) Rafael Nadal d. Federico Delbonis; 6-1, 6-2

(5) Alexander Zverev vs. Lorenzo Sonego; 6-3, 6-3

(6) Andrey Rublev d. Salvatore Caruso; 6-3, 6-2

Casper Ruud d. (7) Diego Schwartzman; 6-3, 6-3

(9) Roberto Bautista Agut d. Tommy Paul; 6-3, 6-4

(11) David Goffin d. Marco Cecchinato; 6-4, 6-0

(12) Pablo Carreno Busta d. Karen Khachanov; 6-2, 6-3

Dan Evans d. (13) Hubert Hurkacz; 6-4, 6-1

(14) Grigor Dimitrov d. Jeremy Chardy; 7-6 (3), 6-4

(15) Fabio Fognini d. Jordan Thompson; 6-3, 6-3

(16) Cristian Garin d. John Millman; 6-1, 6-4

Lucas Pouille d. Alexei Popyrin; 7-5, 2-6, 6-3

Filip Krajinovic d. Juan Ignacio Londero; 6-0, 6-3

              

Notable Results

Djokovic and Nadal are seemingly on a collision course to meet in the final, and nothing that happened on the court Wednesday changed that outlook.

The top-seeded Serb didn't record a single ace, a rarity for the 18-time Grand Slam champion even in the slow court conditions, but he still managed to win 61 percent of the points on his serve and used his defense to take care of the rest, capturing 51 percent of the points on Sinner's serve.

Job Done for Djokovic ✅@DjokerNole defeats Sinner 6-4 6-2 to make a 10-0 start to the season for the sixth (!) time in his career!#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/UGN4JaxbtR

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 14, 2021

"It was a very good encounter. I thought it was a great first match [and] a big challenge for me," Djokovic told reporters. "Jannik is in form. He played the final [in] Miami and has been playing well. I just hung in there today and managed to find the right shots and the right game at the right time."

He advances to face Evans in the third round. It will mark their first career ATP Tour meeting.

Meanwhile, Nadal was similarly efficient as he took care of Delbonis in just 82 minutes as he seeks his 12th Monte-Carlo tournament title.

It wasn't a match without a little bit of drama, as the Argentine qualifier generated five break points against the King of Clay, but Nadal saved four of those chances and earned five breaks of his own en route to the triumph over the 87th-ranked player in the world.

Rafa & Monte Carlo: Reunited 🙌

11x champ @RafaelNadal notches an incredible 72nd win in Monte Carlo, defeating Delbonis 6-1 6-2!#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/JRPNy9Mqpk

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 14, 2021

"It was solid match," Nadal said. "Of course, a very positive result. He's a good player on clay. … Nothing unbelievable, but nothing wrong. Just a solid match, a positive start. I think I did what I had to do today."

The star Spaniard will take on Dimitrov in the next round. He's won 13 of their prior 14 Tour matchups.

Elsewhere, Schwartzman's loss is a continuation of a recent downward trend in form with a 2-3 record since winning the Argentina Open in his home country in early March. All three losses have come against unseeded opponents.

The 2020 French Open semifinalist won just 38 percent of points on his second serve Wednesday, and Ruud took full advantage with three breaks to help spark the minor upset.

Sweet 16 at @ROLEXMCMASTERS

🇷🇸 Djokovic v Evans 🇬🇧
🇧🇪 Goffin v Zverev 🇩🇪
🇬🇷 Tsitsipas v Garin 🇨🇱
🇫🇷 Pouille v Davidovich Fokina 🇪🇸
🇷🇺 Rublev v Bautista Agut 🇪🇸
🇧🇬 Dimitrov v Nadal 🇪🇸
🇳🇴 Ruud v Carreno Busta 🇪🇸
🇮🇹 Fognini v Krajinovic 🇷🇸

Who's reaching the last 8?

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 14, 2021

Play at Monte Carlo Country Club continues with the third round Thursday leading toward the championship match, which is scheduled for Sunday.

The 2021 Miami Open will be without one of tennis' biggest stars.

On Tuesday, Rafael Nadal announced he will not participate in the event as he focuses on recovering from his back injury and preparing for the clay season.

"Sad to announce that I won't be playing in Miami, a city that I love," he tweeted. "I need to fully recover and get ready for the clay court season in Europe. Special message to my fans in the US and in particular to the great Spanish speaking community FL who always give me a great support!"

The tournament responded, saying, "Miami loves you back! Best of luck in your recovery—hope to see you back on the court soon!"

D'Arcy Maine of ESPN noted Nadal has not played in an event since he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarterfinals. He also did not specify if he will play in a tournament before the French Open, which he has won a record 13 times.

The 2021 French Open will begin on May 17 and run through June 6.

As for the Miami Open, it starts March 22 with qualifying and runs through the men's single final April 4.

Nadal has never won the Miami Open, although he reached the final five times.

Coming off a quarterfinal loss in the Australian Open last week, Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the AMRO World Tennis Tournament because of a back injury. 

Nadal announced his decision to skip next week's event in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Twitter:

of the tournament. Once I got back to Spain I visited my doctor and together with my team they’ve advised not to play this upcoming week. I was really looking forward to coming back to Rotterdam and The Netherlands since it’s been a while I played there 👇🏻

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 25, 2021

ecause of ongoing back issues. He was scheduled to compete for the Spanish team against Australia at the ATP Cup on Feb. 4, but he withdrew with back stiffness. 

Even after returning for the Australian Open, Nadal said he was still dealing with injury issues. 

"No, not under control, honestly. ... If you see my motion on the serve is different than what I would like, but I am trying to find solutions every day. I just keep fighting [to] find a solution," he told reporters after his second-round win over Michael Mmoh. 

Nadal was able to overcome those issues to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne. He won the first two sets in his quarterfinal matchup against Stefanos Tsitsipas before dropping the next three sets to end his quest for a second Australian Open title. 

It's unclear at this point when Nadal might return to the court. He's currently on the list of players scheduled to participate in the Miami Open starting on March 24. 

    

Day 10 at the 2021 Australian Open in Melbourne was headlined by a pair of upsets in both the men's and women's draws.

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal's quest for a second career Aussie Open title came to an end at the hands of fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set marathon.

As well, women's No. 1 Ashleigh Barty was knocked out of her home tournament as 25th-seeded Karolina Muchova overcame a one-set deficit to win in three and punch her ticket to the semifinals.

Here is a look at the results of the men's and women's quarterfinal matches from Day 10, along with a deeper dive into how the matches were decided.

    

Wednesday Results

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas def. (2) Rafael Nadal: 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-5

(25) Karolina Muchova def. (1) Ashleigh Barty: 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

(4) Daniil Medvedev def. (7) Andrey Rublev: 7-5, 6-3, 6-2

(22) Jennifer Brady def. Jessica Pegula: 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

     

Men's Results

Despite dealing with back issues leading up to the Australian Open, Nadal was impressive in the rounds prior to the quarterfinals and was favored to make his way to the semis.

That was especially true against Tsitsipas, who needed five sets to get past Australian world No. 267 Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.

Tsitsipas advanced to the quarters on a walkover against Matteo Berrettini, however, and the extra rest may have helped him push past Nadal.

Rafa jumped out to an easy 2-0 lead in sets and seemed poised to cruise into the semis, but Tsitsipas began to turn it on in the third and gutted out a tiebreak win, which changed the complexion of the match.

Tsitsipas only broke Nadal twice, but one of them couldn't have been more timely, as it put the Greek star up 6-5 in the fifth set and gave him an opportunity to close out the match.

Although there were some hiccups as Nadal nearly broke back, Tsitsipas showed nerves of steel by hitting an ace on break point and then serving it out for the win.

Tsitsipas was at a loss for words when trying to describe what had happened:

"I'm speechless. I have no words."@steftsitsipas | #AO2021 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/pSfC4671Nd

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 17, 2021

The U.S. Open Tennis Twitter account put the result into context, pointing out that Tsitsipas became only the second man ever to overcome a 2-0 set deficit to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam:

HISTORY

Only two men have rallied from two sets down to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam:

🔸 Fabio Fognini (2015 US Open)
🔹 Stefanos Tsitsipas (2021 #AusOpen) pic.twitter.com/aVNDcThIR7

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) February 17, 2021

While the tournament ended in disappointment for Nadal, Tsitsipas earned the victory by going toe-to-toe with one of the all-time greats.

Beating a player of Nadal's caliber the way he did could change the course of Tsitsipas' career.

The second men's quarterfinal was also a battle between two top-10 players, both from Russia.

Andrey Rublev was approaching uncharted waters, having never advanced past the quarters of a Grand Slam, while Daniil Medvedev made it as far as the final of the 2019 U.S. Open.

That big-match experience may have helped Medvedev, as the No. 4 seed made quick work of his countryman in straight sets.

Medvedev has made a habit of beating top-10 players. As noted by the ATP Tour, he has not lost a match to a top-10 player since last year's U.S. Open:

Medvedev is 11-0 against Top 10 players since last year’s US Open.@DaniilMedwed | #AusOpen

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 17, 2021

By virtue of his quarterfinal win, Medvedev is set to move to a new career-best world ranking of No. 3 as well, and he could reach No. 2 if he wins the Australian Open, per Jose Morgado of Diario Record:

NEW CAREER HIGH for Daniil Medvedev on Monday.

He passes Thiem and will be ranked number 3 after the #AusOpen. He can leave Melbourne as number 2 with a title.

[getty] pic.twitter.com/uWN0TCe1ur

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 17, 2021

Along with Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, Medvedev has been considered a player ready to break into the upper echelon and win a Grand Slam over the likes of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Dominic Thiem was the first to break through last year by winning the U.S. Open. Now Medvedev and Tsitsipas will have that opportunity, as the winner of their semifinal match will advance to the final and presumably face Djokovic, provided he is able to beat Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev.

     

Women's Results

A significant upset highlighted the women's action at Melbourne Park as 25th-seeded Karolina Muchova came from behind to beat No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets.

Muchova lost handily in the first set before falling behind a break in the second set, but she regrouped and took down the 2019 French Open champion.

WTA Insider noted that Muchova has made a habit of executing remarkable comebacks in this Australian Open:

Karolina Muchova is now 8-0 in 2021 and has been the comeback kid in Melbourne.

Down 0-5 in the 2nd vs. Pliskova, won 75 75.

Down 0-4 in the 1st vs. Mertens, won, 76 75.

Down a set and a break to Barty, won 16 63 62.#AusOpen

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 17, 2021

While the Czech native's comeback was impressive, there was a point of controversy in the match, as she seemed to be refreshed by a medical timeout.

Rather than question Muchova's motives, however, Barty took the high road after the match:

Barty on the MTO: "If she wasn't within the rules, the physios and the doctors would have said so. That's the laws of our game, is that we have those medical timeouts for cases that are needed. Obviously she needed that today. Completely within the rules for her to take that."

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 17, 2021

Barty won only three of the final 15 games in the match as she faded after a hot start.

Tumaini Carayol of the Guardian suggested Barty's lack of matches since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year may have contributed to her slowing down over the latter stages:

I think Barty's lack of matches caught up with her today and people underestimate the importance of match toughness. That was her second real third set over the past 12 months and she just did not deal with the MTO or momentum change well at all.

— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) February 17, 2021

Regardless, the 24-year-old Muchova came to play and is a Grand Slam semifinalist for the first time.

The second quarterfinal was an All-American affair as No. 22 Jennifer Brady clashed with her close friend, unseeded Jessica Pegula.

Pegula, who ran through a veritable murderer's row to get to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating Victoria Azarenka, Sam Stosur, Kristina Mladenovic and Elina Svitolina, got off to a hot start again Tuesday.

The daughter of Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula took the first set 6-4 and seemed well on her way to a Cinderella run to the semis.

Brady began to impose her will, however, and the difference-maker over the final two sets was her big serve.

Brady registered seven aces to Pegula's none and won 82 percent of her first-serve points, while Pegula won just 56 percent of hers.

Additionally, Brady broke Pegula seven times on 10 opportunities, while Pegula could only cash in four of her 10 break chances.

Pegula later took to Twitter to talk up Brady, and Brady reciprocated:

https://twitter.com/JLPegula/status/1361939736294682625

Nothing but respect for you Jess 💛✨ https://t.co/HCVHYG6xVr

— Jennifer Brady (@jennifurbrady95) February 17, 2021

The stage is set for a semifinal battle between Muchova and Brady, the latter of whom is a Grand Slam semifinalist for the second time after making it that far at last year's U.S. Open.

The winner will be a Grand Slam finalist for the first time and figures to be a huge underdog against the winner of the other semifinal between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams.

For the first hour of competition Wednesday, it looked like Rafael Nadal would cakewalk his way into the semifinals of the Australian Open having won the first two sets of his match with Stefanos Tsitsipas in convincing fashion.

Then came a third-set tiebreaker, won by Tsitsipas. And then a fourth set captured by the world's No. 5. Nadal would still keep things close in the fifth set, bringing it to 6-5. But with momentum on his side, Tsitsipas finished things off, knocking the second-ranked player from competition.

The Greek would become just the second person (Fabio Fognini in 2015) to defeat Nadal after falling two sets down in a Grand Slam match.

"I don't know what happened after the third set. I was flying like a little bird," Tsitsipas said during his on-court interview moments after the extraordinary comeback.

The 22-year-old now advances to the semis, where Russian Daniil Medvedev awaits.

"He's playing very well and is in good shape. I know he is going to give me a difficult time on the court," the Greek said of his semifinal opponent after the match, per David Zita and Fox Sports.

Tsitsipas has a 1-5 head-to-head record against the world's fourth-ranked player.

     

Men's Scores

No. 4 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 7 Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 2 Rafael Nadal, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-5

   

The oppressive 86 degree heat inside Rod Laver Arena, and a dazzling performance from No. 4 Medvedev, proved costly for seventh-ranked Rublev in the day's other quarterfinal.

"I mean, first of all, Daniil was playing—I mean, at least against me, if we take all the matches that I've played against him, today he played his best level," Rublev said, per Fox Sports Australia.

Medvedev added: "We always laugh about him, that he's like a battery, like Duracell or something. I actually managed to get him tired."

The world No. 4, who has yet to lose a match to his compatriot, said in his on-court interview just following the match: "We're all so competitive that during the match, you can see that nothing matters. You just need to win. So far, I think my game matches his quite well. I know how to neutralize his amazing big shots. That was definitely one of the best matches I played lately, not only here. I think he was playing really good."

On his latest loss to Medvedev, Rublev told Matt Fitzgerald of Tennis.com: "We're going to play, I hope, for many, many years, so at least once I think I will have a chance (laughing)."

While all eyes were on Rublev and the obvious effect the heat was having on him, Medvedev hid considerable cramping.

"I had to not show it. I managed to make some big serves and then at the end, it locked completely," he said, per Fitzgerald.

Medvedev, winner of 19 straight matches, will have time to recover before squaring off with Nadal in the tournament semis.

    

Women's Scores

No. 22 Jennifer Brady def. Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

No. 25 Karolina Muchova def. No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

    

Either No. 22 Brady or No. 25 Muchova will compete in the first Grand Slam final of their career at the Australian Open after respective three-set victories Wednesday night.

American Brady knocked off friend and former doubles partner Jessica Pegula, coming back from a first-set loss to put the daughter of Buffalo Bills owner Terry away. Brady's 4-6 loss in the first set represented the only one she has lost in this tournament to date.

Brady won the last six games to advance to the semifinals. It was the latest triumph on a journey that began with her and 71 other competitors undergoing two weeks of quarantine before the tournament began.

"Mentally I was feeling a little bit fried [before arriving in Australia]," she said after the match, per Joel Drucker of Tennis.com. "I think I used that two weeks to kind of reset mentally and also physically, just give myself, my mind, my body a little bit of a rest."

The rest obviously helped, and the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native now enters a showdown with Muchova, who knocked off the top-seeded Barty, ending any aspirations the Aussie had of lifting the Open championship in her home country. 

Muchova came back from a one-sided first set to defeat Barty, but not before taking an injury timeout that raised a few eyebrows.

"I started feeling a bit lost by the end of the first set. Ash started very good, she played almost like no mistakes, it was very tough. And I was a bit lost on the court, and my head was spinning (with dizziness) so I took a break," she said, per CNN's Ben Morse.

Barty, saying all the rights things, saw no problem with the 10-minute break: "It's not my place to comment here whether she had an injury or not. That's the physios and the doctors. Obviously that she's taken her medical timeout meant that there was something wrong. She was within the rules, within the guidelines to take that time."

Muchova and Brady have met just once before, a 7-6 third-set victory for the Czech player. "She's crafty," Brady said, per Drucker. "She looks to move forward. Has an all-court game. She's really athletic."

The winner of their battle Thursday will meet either Naomi Osaka or Serena Williams in the final of this years' Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open with a hard-fought five-set victory Wednesday over Rafael Nadal at Melbourne Park.  

Nadal, the tournament's No. 2 seed, took the first two sets in routine fashion before fifth-seeded Tsitsipas stormed back to win the third set in a tiebreak and captured the fourth set to send the match the distance.

The fifth set remained on serve until Tsitsipas scored a late break to take a 6-5 advantage, and he proceeded to serve out the match to eliminate the 20-time Grand Slam champion 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5.

He advances to face No. 4 seed Daniil Medvedev in the penultimate round Friday. The other semifinal will feature top-ranked Novak Djokovic against unseeded qualifier Aslan Karatsev on Thursday.

Nadal entered the Australian Open with a back injury, which increased the importance of trying to avoid long matches like the quarterfinal. Tsitsipas seemingly got stronger as the Melbourne night wore on, and the 34-year-old Spanish superstar couldn't keep pace.

The Greek rising star was tremendous in the fifth set, tallying seven aces and 18 winners with just eight unforced errors. He faced tension with Nadal earning a break point in the final game, but he saved it and got the job done on his third match point.

Nadal didn't play poorly by any stretch. He finished the match with 15 aces, more winners than unforced errors (58-42) and he won 84 percent of points at the net (21 of 25).

The 2009 Australian Open champion couldn't find a way to knock out Tsitsipas in the third-set tiebreaker, however, and the match slowly slipped away.

Tsitsipas, 22, is heading to a major semifinal for the third time. He's seeking his first appearance in a Grand Slam final.

Medvedev holds a 5-1 advantage, but they haven't faced off since 2019, and Tsitsipas won that most recent encounter.

It's a true toss-up for the right to play in the final, where Djokovic will likely be waiting.