New Delhi: It came as a great shock for Rafael Nadal’s fans as the star tennis player crashed out of the Italian Open against Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals.
In 1st tournament in last 7 months, Nadal suffered loss to his opponent by 6-2, 7-5.
Nadal, a nine-time champion in Rome, had never lost to the 15th-ranked Schwartzman in nine previous meetings. For two months during the lockdown, Nadal said, he didn’t touch a tennis racket.
In the women’s tournament, top-seeded Simona Halep reached the last four when Kazakh opponent Yulia Putintseva retired midway through their match due to a lower back injury.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Garbiñe Muguruza eliminated U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The other semifinal will feature last year’s French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova against fellow Czech and defending champion Karolina Pliskova. Vondrousova beat Svitolina 6-3, 6-0, and Pliskova defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
