GIANTS DOMINATE
Nadal eases past Shapovalov, Djokovic back challenging
RAFAEL Nadal brushed aside Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at the Italian Open as Novak Djokovic showed he is on the comeback trail by reaching his first quarter-final of 2018 on Thursday.
The 31-year-old Nadal will face Italian Fabio Fognini in the last eight as he looks to retake the World No 1 ranking from Roger Federer by winning an eighth Rome title this week.
Nadal has already won his 11th titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona during the current clay-court season, but has lost in the quarter-finals in each of the last three years in Italy.
He was far too strong for Shapovalov, taking the opening set with a break in the seventh game before racing through the second to gain a measure of revenge for his shock defeat by the 19-year-old in Montreal last year.
“I think Rafa played incredible today,” said Shapovalov. ”
Top seed Nadal recorded his 20th clay-court win of the year while Shapovalov will at least have the consolation of becoming the Canadian No 1 on Monday.
“It was a solid match for me,” said Nadal. “I started with some mistakes on the return. But with my serve, I didn’t lose many points.”
The Spaniard took on Fognini, who got past Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk 6-4, 6-4, late yesterday.
Meanwhile, Djokovic moved into his first quarter-final since Wimbledon last July when he defeated Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 7-5.
The four-time Rome champion is making his way back this year after a six-month injury absence before the Australian Open, which was followed by elbow surgery.
“It felt good,” said the 12-time Grand Slam winner. “I’ve historically always played well in Rome, and I feel like each match is getting better.”
The 30-year-old played Japan’s Kei Nishikori for a semifinal berth yesterday.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who beat Djokovic in last year’s final, kept his title defence on track but needed eight match points to see off Briton Kyle Edmund 7-5, 7-6 (13-11).
For Zverev it was an 11th consecutive win after back-to-back title runs at Munich and Madrid.
The 21-year-old played Belgian David Goffin who advanced when Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro retired while trailing 62, 4-5 with a groin injury.
In the women’s tournament, Simona Halep boosted her bid to retain the World No 1 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 played France’s Caroline Garcia who dumped out US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-6 (9-7).
Simona needed to reach at least the last eight and go further than World No 2 Caroline Wozniacki to retain the top ranking going into the French Open.
Dane Caroline was given a scare by Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova before closing out the match 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
She faced Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit who defeated Venus Williams for the second time in a week.
Anett, 22, won through 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) against the 37-year-old American who was seeded eighth in a tournament she won nearly two decades ago in 1999.
Three-time winner Maria Sharapova ousted Daria Gavrilova 6-3, 6-4 and played fifth seed and French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko who saw off Britain’s Johanna Konta 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Defending champion Elina Svitolina of Ukraine fought back from a first set wipeout against Daria Kasatkina to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.