ANDERSON FACES NADAL IN SEMIS
Defending champion Kevin Anderson was stretched by debutant Hyeon Chung before prevailing 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1 in the opening match to set a semifinal clash against World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Friday.
“I am really pleased with the result. It’s been few weeks since the last competitive match. My main goal of winning this match was to get an opportunity to play Rafael and hopefully Novak (Djokovic). This is a great opportunity for me and these are the matches I look forward to play,” Anderson said after the match at the International Tennis Complex in Zayed Sports City.
Anderson ran into a 4-2 lead but Chung first leveled and then clinched the tie-breaker to take the first set. However, the South African made light work of Chung to sweep the next two sets.
“In the first set, I was hitting the ball well but for few situations in the court. I was little bit rusty but I approached the match very well. I am pleased by the way the second and third set went. I was able to build on quite a few things I had been working on pre-season. I can take a lot of confidence from the match. Playing three sets has been a good preparation for me. I am happy to have spent more time out there. This is a plus with the Australian Open round the corner.”
In the second and third set, Anderson was able to create opportunities by tackling Chung’s serves.
“I served a little bit better. I was broken once in the first set but was able to keep holding the second and third sets, and create pressure on his return games. Tennis is funny. Sometimes small points can actually make big difference. Getting an early break in the second set changed the momentum of his win in the first set. I got a bit lucky on the break point with the ball hitting the net and rolling over. I started making lot of returns and also made good job of taking care of his game. This was the winning combination for me.”
In their previous meeting at the US Open, Nadal had beaten Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Now the World No. 6 is set for big match on Friday.
“My challenge is to become more comfortable against these players. It will be a big opportunity for me. The more I see them on court the more it will help,” Anderson added.
Meanwhile in the second match of the day, World No. 11 and Karen Khachanov eased past No. 8 Dominic Thiem 7-6, 6-3 to set a clash with Djokovic. Khachanov had stunned the World No. 1 7-5, 6-4 at the Paris Masters final in November.
Thus Friday has two mega matches in store with AndersonNadal and Khachanov-Djokovic set to raise temperature in Abu Dhabi.