"Really happy with way I played against No. 1 player in the world, excited to be in another final"- Rafael Nadal after beating Daniil Medvedev
Rafael Nadal took another step towards his fourth crown in Acapulco after defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday. The Spaniard will take on Great Britain's Cameron Norrie in the final.
Nadal and Medvedev squared off in a rematch of last month's Australian Open final. The Russian, who was denied a second Grand Slam title in Melbourne, was hoping to avenge his five-set defeat.
However, he was uncharacteristically sloppy on the night. Medevdev committed 26 unforced errors and failed to convert any of his 11 breakpoint opportunities as he slumped to his fifth loss in six meetings with the Spaniard.
Speaking after the match, Rafael Nadal revealed that he was pleased with his efforts and was slightly lucky to have come away with a relatively straightforward win. He also disclosed that he was very happy to have beaten Medvedev, who will dethrone Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1 on Monday.
"I was lucky," Rafael Nadal remarked. "I think I played some amazing points in those break points. In the second set Daniil was playing very aggressive. It was a very difficult set. I feel lucky to win that set because he had a lot of chances. The first set was a little bit easier, he tried to play more aggressive but I did well. I'm really happy with the way I played against the No. 1 player in the world. So I'm excited to be in the final."
The moment @RafaelNadal defeated Daniil Medvedev to reach his fifth Acapulco final ✌️
#AMT2022 https://t.co/hdpSHY1McT
The 21-time Major champion went on to share his thoughts on facing Cameron Norrie in the final. The Brit is coming off a title at the Delray Beach Open last week and is brimming with confidence after a 6-4, 6-4 semi-final win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rafael Nadal, who boasts a 3-0 head-to-head advantage over Norrie, highlighted how the 26-year-old has made significant improvements to his game over the past year.
"His level of tennis is huge," Nadal said of Cameron Norrie. "He improved a lot over the last year and this year he continues. He won last week, this week he is in the final after winning a lot of great matches. So it's going to be a big challenge. We're in the final of an ATP 500 in Acapulco so I can't expect an easy opponent. So I'm happy to be in the final."
Rafael Nadal one win away from his 91st career title
Rafael Nadal is yet to drop a set this week and will contest his fifth final in Acapulco on Sunday. He beat Denis Kudla, Stefan Kozlov, Tommy Paul and top seed Daniil Medvedev en route to the championship match.
With a win-loss record of 14-0 in 2022 thus far, the Spaniard has already registered his best-ever start to a season. A win in the final will move him ahead of Felix-Auger Aliassime on the list of most wins this season and also secure a 91st career title. He will also rise to No. 4 in the ATP rankings.
Finals in Acapulco: locked🔒
See you tomorrow🙌
@AbiertoTelcel | #AMT2022 https://t.co/WEYvEYShaQ