With Novak Djokovic and Ernests Gulbis already qualified for the semi-final round – and set to collide for a berth in the Final on June 6th – it remained to be seen which were going to be the two other players that were going to fight for advancing to the next round.
Fan favorite Rafael Nadal and UK representative Andy Murray had difficult matches in the QF Round against David Ferrer and Gael Monfils, respectively. However, the two favorites managed to advance and now they will have to battle for a place in the Final to be played in June 8th.
Rafa Nadal was stunned by a combative David Ferrer who won the first set 6-4, but it was all Nadal from there. The n°1 in the ATP World Ranking started to control the game and took home the second set with a 6-4 score that proved to be the nail in Ferrer’s coffin. The Spaniard disappeared from the game, Nadal was an absolute storm and only lost one game in the rest of the match. The final score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and 6-0 might not do justice to Ferrer’s performance, but it was a true testament of how dominant Nadal was in the second part of the match.
Andy Murray had an even tougher challenge against local credit Gael Monfils, a player that’s very dangerous in clay due to his baseline play and athleticism. Both players came back and forth but Murray struck first winning the first two sets 6-4 and 6-1. It appeared like it was going to be a walk in the park for the Wimbledon winner but Monfils came back strong in the third set.
Aided by the fans, Monfils turned things around and surprisingly won 6-3 in the third and 6-1 in the fourth to put the match two set per side. It seemed like it was going to be a tough battle in the fifth, but Monfils didn’t have gas left in the tank and Murray took advantage of that situation. The Brittish blanked the French in the set and the 6-0 score gave him a berth in the SF round.
Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray will battle on Friday for a berth in the Final. The only thing that is clear now is that both are two of the four players remaining in the men’s draw after two hectic weeks at Roland Garros.