U.S. Open quarterfinals: Fernando Gonazlez vs. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal looked like he might be slipping a bit this year. After all, he was knocked out of the French Open before even the quarterfinals, and a lingering knee injury had kept him from defending his Wimbledon title. Roger Federer won both the French and Wimbledon and took back the No. 1 ranking.
But if Nadal can win the U.S. Open on Sunday, he will complete the career Grand Slam in only four and a half years – it took Federer six to do so.
Of course, first Nadal has to get past Fernando Gonzalez in Thursday’s late quarterfinal match. Nadal is a -350 favorite to do so on WagerWeb.com. He is coming off a terrific win over Gael Monfils, 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, in the fourth round and now confronts a familiar foe in Chile’s Gonzalez, whom he is 6-3 against and had beaten four straight times, but whom he has lost to twice on hardcourts.
Both players have terrific forehands. It is a danger Nadal is well aware of.
“He played unbelievable all match against (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga. Very good tennis, unbelievable forehands, so I know him very well,” said Nadal referring to Gonzalez’s fourth-round victory.
This is the second U.S. open quarterfinal for the 11th-seeded Gonzalez, with the first coming in 2002. Recently, he has learned to temper his game and cut down on unforced errors, and he is having a good year. For example, he made the semifinals at Roland Garros, losing to the runner-up Robin Soderling in five sets.
Against the physicality and intimidation of Nadal, Gonzalez says he has to rigidly stick to his own game plan.
“Rafa has much more experience in these kind of tournaments, but I have a lot of confidence,” he said. “I mean, I have to be worrying about myself only. Try to make my best tennis, and that’s it. That’s really important. If you want to have a long career you have to be yourself.”
If Nadal is fully healthy, as he seemed to be against Monfils, then this should be nothing more than a four-setter for the Spaniard. The winner of the match will face a 20-year-old, 6-foot-6 player in either Juan Martin del Potro or Marin Cilic, who played Thursday afternoon.
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