Paris: Rafa Nadal continued his birthday celebrations by moving into the French Open quarterfinals here Monday with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(7-4) victory over a determined Maximilian Marterer. It was his 900th career win and he has now won 37 consecutive sets on the red clay of Roland Garros. It kept him on track for an 11th French Open title.
Nadal, who turned 32 Sunday, fired 39 winners as he completed the victory in 150 minutes to set up a match with Argentine Diego Schwartzman, who had earlier beaten Kevin Anderson.
After roaring to a two-set lead, Nadal faced a stern test in the third with Marterer leading 3-1 at one point after breaking the Spaniard. However, Nadal broke back immediately to restore parity in the set, but even then the German was not ready to give up easily.
Games and points were fiercely fought with both players showing their full array of shots. Nadal, however, maintained composure in the decisive moments of the match to seal victory on his second match point as Marterer’s backhand went long.
Schwartzman showed tremendous fighting spirit against the sixth-seeded Anderson. The South African, dropped just three games as he took the first two sets but Schwartzman somehow recovered for an unlikely 1-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2 triumph. The resilience of Schwartzman paid off well as in the last set, Anderson had clearly lost the stamina to continue the match. He conceded the set and the match tamely and left the court in a huff, holding his head in disbelief.
