Rafael Nadal Extends Winning Streak to 17 to Move into Rome Quarterfinals
(May 18, 2017) Rafael Nadal’s winning streak is now up to 17. The road to Roland Garros has taken the nine-time champion to three straight clay court titles season and now Ndal is three wins away from the Rome Masters title. Nadal beat 13th seed, American Jack Sock on Thursday 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Italian Open elite eight.
He’ll play eighth seed Dominc Thiem in the next round for the third time in less than a month. Nadal beat the Austrian in both the Barcelona and Madrid finals.
“I am here to try my best,” Nadal said. “I know is a tough tournament. I don’t have an easy draw here, a tough one. From the beginning is true that what happened to Nico was very bad news, but today again, second round against Sock is a tough one, and tomorrow against Dominic, he’s the player that is having probably more success now on clay, no?
“So will be another tough battle tomorrow. I hope to be ready for that battle, and I gonna try to play my best.”
Dominic Thiem
Thiem advanced by saving two match points in a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7) win over Sam Querrey.
“It’s going to be a really amazing experience for me to play him third time in a very short time,” said the Austrian.
“I mean, it has been two very good matches, Barcelona and Madrid. I hope it’s going to be a third very good one tomorrow.”
Four-time Roma champion, second seed Novak Djokovic advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Roberto Bautista Agut. Dkokovic will face Juan Martin del Potro- the Argentine upset seventh seed. Kei Nishikori 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Another top men’s seed fell on Thursday when third seed Stan Wawrinka lost to American John Isner 7-6 (1), 6-4 to American John Isner.
“It had been a while, but I was looking forward to the match, “ Isner said. “I thought I played pretty well out there.
“It’s a situation for me where I’m going out there against the No. 3 player in the world. Maybe I have a little bit less to lose than he does.
“I went out there with the belief that if I played well and executed my game plan that I could walk off that court with a win. That’s what happened today. I served well and took my chances when I had them.
“So I was very happy with the performance.”
Venus Williams
In women’s action, Venus Williams stopped a three-match losing streak against top British player Johanna Konta 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
“I love this tournament, and I love Rome,” Williams said. “It’s one of my favorite places on earth, so that’s one of the reasons why I have always come here.
“You know, I have had a good amount of success here. Probably sometimes that it wasn’t that great. I’d never leave Rome early; let’s put it that way. I always stay.”
Other women advancing to the final eight- second seed Karolina Pliskova over Timea Bacsinszky 6-1, 7-5, eighth seed Elina Svitolina defeated Mona Barthel 3-6, 6-0, 6-0, Kiki Bertens won 7-6 (3), 6-1 over Ekaterina Makarova.
Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit, who knocked out No. 1 Angelique Kerber continued her winning ways stopping 16th-seeded Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-1, 6-1.
Kontaveit will be battling Madrid Open champion and sixth seed Simona Halep who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.
In another upset on the women’s side of the draw, qualifier Daria Gavrilova defeated seventh-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.
RESULTS – THURSDAY, 18 MAY 2017
Men’s Singles – Third Round
[2] N. Djokovic (SRB) d R. Bautista Agut (ESP) 64 64
J. Isner (USA) d [3] S. Wawrinka (SUI) 76(1) 64
[4] R. Nadal (ESP) d [13] J. Sock (USA) 63 64
[5] M. Raonic (CAN) d [12] T. Berdych (CZE) 63 62
[6] M. Cilic (CRO) d [9] D. Goffin (BEL) 63 64
J. del Potro (ARG) d [7] K. Nishikori (JPN) 76(4) 63
[8] D. Thiem (AUT) d S. Querrey (USA) 36 63 76(7) – saved 3 M.P.
[16] A. Zverev (GER) d F. Fognini (ITA) 63 63
Men’s Doubles – Second Round
[1] H. Kontinen (FIN) / J. Peers (AUS) d J. Sousa (POR) / F. Verdasco (ESP) 75 75
[2] B. Bryan (USA) / M. Bryan (USA) d A. Zverev (GER) / M. Zverev (GER) w/o (A Zverev – fatigue)
[4] P. Herbert (FRA) / N. Mahut (FRA) d B. Baker (USA) / N. Monroe (USA) 62 67(7) 12-10
[5] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA) d F. Mergea (ROU) / A. Qureshi (PAK) 62 63
[6] R. Klaasen (RSA) / R. Ram (USA) d O. Marach (AUT) / M. Pavic (CRO) 63 64
R. Bopanna (IND) / P. Cuevas (URU) d [7] F. Lopez (ESP) / M. Lopez (ESP) 46 76(7) 10-8
SCHEDULE – FRIDAY, 19 MAY 2017
CENTRALE start 12:00 noon
WTA – [Q] A. Kontaveit (EST) vs [6] S. Halep (ROU)
Not Before 2:00 pm
ATP – [16] A. Zverev (GER) vs [5] M. Raonic (CAN)
Not Before 4:00 pm
ATP – [8] D. Thiem (AUT) vs [4] R. Nadal (ESP)
Not Before 7:30 pm
WTA – [9] V. Williams (USA) vs [3] G. Muguruza (ESP)
Not Before 9:00 pm
ATP – J. del Potro (ARG) vs [2] N. Djokovic (SRB)
NEXT GEN ARENA start 12:00 noon
ATP – J. Isner (USA) vs [6] M. Cilic (CRO)
Not Before 2:30 pm
WTA – [15] K. Bertens (NED) vs [Q] D. Gavrilova (AUS)
Not Before 4:30 pm
WTA – [8] E. Svitolina (UKR) or [Q] M. Barthel (GER) vs T. Bacsinszky (SUI) or [2] K. Pliskova (CZE)
ATP – R. Bopanna (IND) / P. Cuevas (URU) vs [4] P. Herbert (FRA) / N. Mahut (FRA)
PIETRANGELI start 12:00 noon
ATP – [1] H. Kontinen (FIN) / J. Peers (AUS) vs [5] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA)
WTA – [6] A. Spears (USA) / K. Srebotnik (SLO) vs [2] Y. Chan (TPE) / M. Hingis (SUI)
ATP – [6] R. Klaasen (RSA) / R. Ram (USA) vs [2] B. Bryan (USA) / M. Bryan (USA)
ATP – J. Isner (USA) / J. Sock (USA) vs [8] I. Dodig (CRO) / M. Granollers (ESP)
COURT 1 start 1:00 pm
WTA – [4] T. Babos (HUN) / A. Hlavackova (CZE) vs K. Bondarenko (UKR) / K. Siniakova (CZE)
WTA – [WC] S. Errani (ITA) / M. Trevisan (ITA) vs [3] S. Mirza (IND) / Y. Shvedova (KAZ)
WTA – [1] E. Makarova (RUS) / E. Vesnina (RUS) vs B. Krejcikova (CZE) / S. Zheng (CHN)