Continuing his pursuit of a first ATP Tour title since the 2022 US Open, Rafael Nadal pits his wits against Mariano Navone in the quarter-finals of the Swedish Open on Friday afternoon.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner produced an eye-catching comeback to eliminate Cameron Norrie in the second round, where his Argentine foe eased past India's Sumit Nagal.
Match preview
© Imago
Fresh from marking his return to singles action with a straightforward beating of Leo Borg - the son of the legendary Bjorn Borg - Nadal was expected to face more of a stern test against fifth seed Norrie, who has achieved some notable results on clay down the years.
The former British number one memorably bested Carlos Alcaraz en route to Rio Open glory last February, and a third set versus Nadal appeared to be on the cards when he broke first in the second set, but the scintillating Spaniard came storming back.
From 4-1 down in the second set, the 38-year-old reeled off a spectacular five-game winning streak to conquer the Briton 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes to reach just his second quarter-final of the season, having progressed to the last eight in Brisbane in January.
Defeating Navone would see Nadal make the semi-finals of a top-level singles event for the first time in 2024, and an incredibly composed display on Thursday saw the 38-year-old post five aces - including one on match point - while saving three of the four break points that his British foe brought up.
The 22-time major winner sparked a bit of concern when he suffered an awkward fall at the start of the second set - which drew blood from his leg and elbow - but after a quick visit from the trainer, he capitalised on a Norrie capitulation and may now be some people's favourite for Bastad glory.
© Imago
With reigning champion Andrey Rublev suffering a shock loss to Thiago Agustin Tirante in round two, Navone is the highest seed left standing in between Nadal and a Swedish Open title, although he is also into the semi-finals of the men's doubles with Casper Ruud.
While Nadal dispatched Norrie in straight sets, Navone dropped just six games in his 6-4 6-2 victory over Nagal, taking exactly 100 minutes to seal the deal as he pursues a maiden ATP Tour crown, having already lost two finals on clay in 2024.
The Rio Open in February and Romanian Open in April both ended with the Argentine taking home a runners-up prize, although he had never even made a top-level championship match before the 2024 season, which has been one of monumental progress.
Now ranked 36th in the world - having previously broken the top 30 last month - the 23-year-old faced a staggering 12 break points against Nagal, but he saved 10 of them and also cancelled out 17 unforced errors with 28 winners on the day.
The victor of Friday's tie will earn a semi-final date with Thiago Monteiro or Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic, and while Nadal has labelled Navone a player who is performing "so well" on clay in 2024, there will be no room for pleasantries on Friday lunchtime.
Tournament so far
Rafael Nadal:
First round: vs. Leo Borg 6-3 6-4
Second round: vs. Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4
Mariano Navone:
Second round: vs. Sumit Nagal 6-4 6-2
Head To Head
Friday's semi-final will see Nadal and Navone lock horns for the first time on the ATP Tour, where the former's left-handed style clashes with the right-handed game of the Argentine.
The Spaniard holds a minor physical edge at 6ft 1in compared to his 5ft 10in foe, and their win rates for 2024 are strikingly similar; Nadal has prevailed in seven of 12 for 58.3%, while Navone has triumphed in 13 out of 24 for a total of 54.2%.
We say: Nadal to win in three sets
Having been made to eat our words after backing a Norrie three-set win on Thursday, we are not simply siding with Nadal out of guilt this time around; the Spaniard's display in the second round was arguably his best of the 2024 season so far.
Nadal can also expect to win some cheap points off of Navone mistakes, and while the Argentine will no doubt put up a good fight, Nadal is looking more like himself by the match and can finally return to semi-final territory.
Ben Knapton
