Agency :
Top seed Rafael Nadal on Friday came from one set down to beat Spanish countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to set up an ATP Paris Masters semi-final with Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Fourth seed Zverev knocked out Switzerland’s three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 7-6 (1) to power into his seventh clash with Nadal, with Zverev having lost five of their previous six meetings.
The win for Nadal also crushed Carreno Busta’s hope of reaching the ATP Finals, with the final ticket for the year’s final tournament going to Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman despite his 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal loss to Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev now faces a semifinal against 2016 Wimbledon semifinalist Milos Raonic, after the Canadian saved two match points to battle past home favourite Ugo Humbert 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7) in two hours and 19 minutes.
World No. 2 Nadal has never won the Paris tournament, losing his only final at the Bercy Arena 13 years ago against Argentina’s David Nalbandian.
Nadal’s clash with Carreno Busta was the second time in three Paris Masters matches that the Spaniard has had to come from behind to win.
“I have to give him a lot of credit that he did a lot of things very well, played very aggressively,” Nadal said of Carreno Busta, whom he defeated in two hours and 14 minutes.
“He started playing well. The problem was he was winning hs serves too comfortably,” the Spaniard added.
With 86 career titles, including 35 in Masters events, Nadal is just one title short of Novak Djokovic’s overall record.
Top seed Rafael Nadal on Friday came from one set down to beat Spanish countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to set up an ATP Paris Masters semi-final with Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Fourth seed Zverev knocked out Switzerland’s three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 7-6 (1) to power into his seventh clash with Nadal, with Zverev having lost five of their previous six meetings.
The win for Nadal also crushed Carreno Busta’s hope of reaching the ATP Finals, with the final ticket for the year’s final tournament going to Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman despite his 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal loss to Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev now faces a semifinal against 2016 Wimbledon semifinalist Milos Raonic, after the Canadian saved two match points to battle past home favourite Ugo Humbert 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7) in two hours and 19 minutes.
World No. 2 Nadal has never won the Paris tournament, losing his only final at the Bercy Arena 13 years ago against Argentina’s David Nalbandian.
Nadal’s clash with Carreno Busta was the second time in three Paris Masters matches that the Spaniard has had to come from behind to win.
“I have to give him a lot of credit that he did a lot of things very well, played very aggressively,” Nadal said of Carreno Busta, whom he defeated in two hours and 14 minutes.
“He started playing well. The problem was he was winning hs serves too comfortably,” the Spaniard added.
With 86 career titles, including 35 in Masters events, Nadal is just one title short of Novak Djokovic’s overall record.
