(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Spaniard toys with lajovic to play ferrer in last eight
rafael nadal hits a forehand return during his match against dusan lajovice. — getty images
concerns that rafa nadal’s reign as king of roland garros might be in jeopardy due to an aching back proved wide of the mark on monday as the world number one led a spanish charge into the french open quarter-finals.
on the day that spanish king juan carlos abdicated his throne there was no danger of his compatriot doing the same in paris as the eight-times champion produced a 6-1 6-2 6-1 demolition job on serbian dusan lajovic.
next up will be fellow spaniard david ferrer who lost last year’s final to nadal but beat his compatriot the last time the duo faced each other across a net.
ferrer stalled kevin anderson’s bid to become the first south african man in 47 years to reach the last eight of the claycourt major with a 6-3 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1 win. the top half of the men’s draw could become an all-spanish affair if they are joined by fernando verdasco and guillermo garcia-lopez later on monday.
nadal who said he had to slow down his serve in his previous match after being troubled by back pain left lajovic with a sore head and aching joints as he went on a rampage to go 5-0 in the first set before rattling off 17 straight points at the start of the second.
“my back can be pretty unpredictable” was all nadal was willing to say when he was quizzed about the subject.
while nadal being in the final of the french open is one of the most predictable sights in tennis — his only blip was in 2009 — ferrer made it that far for the first time only 12 months ago.
odds of him repeating that run were boosted by his defeat of nadal in the quarter-final of the monte carlo masters only weeks ago.
while three of the top five men’s seeds are still alive romanian simona halep remained the only top five woman to reach the last eight with a 6-4 6-3 win over sloane stephens whose exit ended american interest in the singles.
andrea petkovic’s decision to hold off trading in her tennis racket for a career in journalism paid off as she reached a grand slam quarter-final for the first time in three years with a 1-6 6-2 7-5 win over dutch qualifier kiki bertens.
she will next face 2012 runner-up sara errani who continued the cull of top 10 players with a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over sixth seed jelena jankovic.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.