Nadal retires with leg injury, Cilic through to Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE, Australia — An injured and visibly struggling Rafael Nadal retired while trailing in the fifth set of his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Marin Cilic on Tuesday.
Top-ranked Nadal fended off five break points in the last game before Cilic broke his serve, then the 16time major winner went to shake hands with the umpire and his opponent, and angrily hurled his headband into his equipment bag.
No. 6-seeded Cilic advanced to his first semifinal in Australia since 2010 with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 2-0, retired.
Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, will next play No. 49-ranked Kyle Edmund, who beat No. 3ranked Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.
Nadal limped into a news conference about a half-hour later, still wincing when he stepped up onto a platform. He said he felt muscle pain in his upper right leg in the third set but played through it. In the fourth set, chasing a drop shot, he felt the pain get worse “but didn’t realize how bad.”
“Tough moments —not (for) the first time here,” he said. “I’m a positive person, but today is an opportunity lost to be in a semifinal for a Grand Slam and fight for an important title for me.
“It’s really tough to accept.” Nadal said he’d have medical scans today to determine the exact location and extent of the injury, which he could only describe as being high on his right leg but not in the hip.
“Unbelievable performance from both of us and really unfortunate for Rafa,” Cilic said. “He’s such an unbelievable competitor. He always gives his best … it’s very unfortunate for him to finish this way.”
In early quarterfinal play today, 2016 women’s champion Angelique Kerber routed U.S. Open finalist Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2.
Kerber broke Keys six times in the match.
“It’s always tough to play against Madison,” Kerber said. “She’s hitting the ball so hard, the serve is also really fast, so I was just trying from the beginning like I played the whole week, just going out there, playing my game and enjoying it.”
In the following match at Rod Laver Arena, Hyeon Chung became the first Korean player ever to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam by defeating Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
At 21 years old, Chung is also the youngest man to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam since Cilic made it this far at the Australian Open in 2010.
Keys and Sandgren were the last Americans left in the singles draws.