Nadal downs Fognini, on Djokovic collision course
Spaniard closer to No. 1 spot, Serb in first quarters of 2018
Rafael Nadal remained on a collision course with Novak Djokovic by overcoming a firstset blip to ultimately comfortably dispatch Fabio Fognini and book a spot in the semi-finals of the Internazionali d’Italia.
The Spaniard may have feared a fourth consecutive lasteight exit in Rome when Fognini, who typically mixed brilliance with erraticism, fought back from 4-1 down to win the opening set.
But Nadal, a seven-time champion in the Italian capital, displayed his lasting quality on the clay to record a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory and secure his ticket to the last four, where Djokovic or Kei Nishikori await.
In the process, Nadal stretched his head-to-head record over Fognini to 11-3 and maintained his hopes of returning to world number one after a quarter-final defeat to Dominic Thiem in Madrid saw him displaced by Roger Federer.
Nadal earned break point in game four of the opening set when relentless pressure led to a forehand winner at the net, and some scarcely believable court coverage saw him put the chance away.
Fognini was unfortunate to find himself 4-1 adrift, but a huge forehand brought up three break points in game seven. Nadal saved those but could not hold off a fourth as another crunching forehand saw the Italian break back.
Incredibly, Fognini then turned the set around - a wild forehand from Nadal offered his opponent the break point and the Spaniard then went long with a backhand.
Fognini easily held for the opener, but Nadal quickly rediscovered his groove, breaking in game two with a trademark powerful forehand and, when he broke again in game six, the set was out of his opponent’s reach.
The writing was on the wall by the time Fognini gifted Nadal the first break in the deciding set in game three with a long forehand.
Nadal had the double-break lead when Fognini went wide on a backhand and the Spaniard went on to book a 10th last-four appearance in Rome.
HALEP, SHARAPOVA ADVANCE
In the women’s tournament, Simona Halep boosted her bid to retain her world number one ranking as the top seed advanced to the quarter-finals after American Madison Keys withdrew injured with a painful rib.
The Romanian, a finalist in Rome last year, is on her way to holding her top ranking as she plays France’s Caroline Garcia or American Sloane Stephens.
Halep needed to reach at least the last eight and go further than world number two Caroline Wozniacki to retain the topranking going into the French Open. Three-time winner Maria Sharapova ousted Daria Gavrilova 6-3, 6-4 and will play fifth seed and French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko who saw off Johanna Konta 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.