Washington, September 13: Rafael Nadal had to wait more than 36 hours to complete his US Open quarter-final against Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, and when the Spaniard got back on court here yesterday he was in no mood to waste time.
Resuming in the middle of the second-set tie- break, Nadal needed little more than half an hour to complete a 7-6 7-6 6-0 victory and earn a place against Juan Martin del Potro in today’s semi-finals.
The match, which began on Thursday night, resumed just after midday with Gonzalez serving at 2-3 in the tie-break. It could hardly have started better for Nadal. Gonzalez hit forehands long on the first three points and the world No 3 hit a service winner on the fourth to secure the set with the minimum of fuss.
Things got even worse for Gonzalez. The Chilean, serving in the first game of the third set, went 0-30 down, recovered to deuce but then served a double fault on Nadal’s second game point, upon which he hurled his racket to the ground in fury.
–Agencies