Rafael Nadal (4th in the world), still undefeated in 2022, qualified with difficulty for the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells in California on Thursday, beating 7-6 (7/0), 5-7, 6- 4 Australian Nick Kyrgios (132nd).
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The Spaniard, who at the end of January became the most successful in Grand Slams with a 21st coronation gleaned at the Australian Open, is now 19 wins in a row this season.
Triple winner of the event in the Californian desert (2007, 2009, 2013), he will face in the next round his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz (19th) or the Briton Cameron Norrie (12th), the defending champion.
It will be necessary to have recovered from his efforts, because he had to fight 2:48 on the court, most often against himself, because, unusually, he committed a large number of unforced errors, including seven double faults, of course pushed to his limits by his opponent, who often held him up in exchanges.
But Nadal, even in a day without, never lets go. Trailing in the first set, he managed to unbreak to equalize at 5-5, before taking the big shots in the decisive game, removed 7-0. To the great displeasure of Kyrgios, very frustrated, who smashed his racket on the ground, after dropping a “shut up” to a too talkative spectator, receiving a penalty point on set point.
The Australian, reborn this year after a 2020 year without playing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a 2021 season in the depths, has thus been true to his reputation: as whimsical as he is angry on the court.
And, he showed his best face in the second set, hanging on to take advantage of another slack in the Spaniard’s serve and equalize at one set everywhere on a slammed backhand volley.
He exulted, but ended up disillusioned in the 3rd set, Nadal finally managing to raise his level of play. Kyrgios continued to belch names of birds, turning first towards the row where the actor was. and director Ben Stiller, then, after being broken at 4-3, throwing to the referee “it’s your goddamn job to control the public!”, furious to hear noise during the exchanges.
Definitely out of the match when there was space for an exploit, he was then punished by Nadal, who knows how to bend the case.