Italian Fabio Fognini pulled off one of the upsets of the 2019 ATP Tour season on Saturday, defeating 11-time Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

Last year, Fognini sat down with ATPWorldTour.com to talk about his “ATP Firsts.” 

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
[In 2006], I was playing qualies at Buenos Aires, and I made it through the main draw and I was playing [Carlos] Moya and I lost 6-4 in the third, and then he won the tournament.

First thing I bought with prize money
I live in Italy, so I bought a house first of all, because I think it’s the most important thing in your life, and after that a car, nothing else… It’s a nice apartment, it’s 125, 130 metres squared.

More ATP Firsts: Donaldson | Schwartzman | M. Zverev

How fast have you gone in your car?
Well, I can’t tell you right now because…

Only up to the speed limit?
Of course.

First autograph/photo I got
When I was young, because I was living close to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters… with the school, we went there to watch the tournament. I had a picture with [Goran] Ivanisevic.

First pet
I had one when I was really young, when I was 4-15. I had one in Italy and when he died, I was really, really sad. I have a tattoo of him also. When he died, I made one. Good memory. Ralph…. [The tattoo is] on my hip… ‘Never Without You’ or something.

First time I flew first class
I think when I was Top 100. That was my goal. I had never flown business class because I had to do something before flying business class. So I think when I was Top 100, and it was the end of the year, I was No. 95, No. 94 and the next flight I flew to Australia main draw, I flew business… It was nice. Of course it’s a long trip, so it’s a lot of hours inside the plane. So it was nice.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on 31 May 2018.

Fabio Fognini produced the performance of his career on Saturday to stun 11-time champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, advancing to his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

Fognini claimed 11 of 14 games from 1-3 down in the first set to stun the 33-time Masters 1000 champion after one hour and 36 minutes. Fognini’s fourth victory in 15 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against the 80-time tour-level titlist ends 18-match and 25-set winning streaks for Nadal in the Principality.

“I was telling him yesterday that I [knew I had] the game to play against him,” said Fognini. “Sometimes I won a few matches. [I won] one crazy one at the US Open and two times on clay. So I knew that I had nothing to lose, because, of course, especially when you go with him on clay, it’s always really tough.”

This is just the second time the World No. 18 has claimed victory against Top 2 opposition, adding to his 2017 triumph over then-World No. 1 Andy Murray at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Fognini is also just the fourth man to claim three or more victories against Nadal on clay, following in the footsteps of Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Gaston Gaudio. The Italian’s previous two clay-court victories against Nadal came at the Rio Open presented by Claro and Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in 2015.

“I probably played one of the worst matches on clay in 14 years,” Nadal said. “When that happens, you have to lose. And today I deserved to lose because I played against a player that was better than me today.”

Fognini entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak on clay and looked set to fall to a sixth straight defeat on the surface in his opening match. But after Andrey Rublev led the Italian 6-4, 4-1, Fognini found his best tennis and he has not looked back. Fognini defeated World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, ninth seed Borna Coric and Nadal to reach the championship match at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week, I will see you on Sunday, I would [have] laughed in your face,” said Fognini. “I was 6-4, 4-1 down and break point for 5-1, and I [hit an] ace on the line. But that’s incredible sport. So I was lucky. Now I’m in the final. And of course I go for the title tomorrow.”

Fognini will meet first-time tour-level finalist Dusan Lajovic for the trophy. Lajovic, who is yet to drop a set in the Principality this week (10-0), recovered from 1-5 down in the first set to beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-1. Fognini and Lajovic have never met at tour-level.

“It’s a surprise final, because of course both of us [were] not favorites [in the matches] today,” said Fognini. “He played really good and really solid during the whole week, because I saw him play against Dominic. I saw him playing the first match and he beat Goffin. And even if Medvedev was really tight, he was 1-5 down in the first set, and he was really good.

“I think it’s going to be really tough. He has nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose. We start 50/50. Even if the ranking [says] I’m higher than him, I know that I have to run a lot tomorrow.”

Fognini joins Novak Djokovic as the only player to defeat Nadal at the Monte-Carlo Country Club after the quarter-finals. Djokovic snapped Nadal’s 46-match win streak in the Principality to claim the 2013 title and also defeated the Spaniard in the last four in 2015.

The eight-time tour-level titlist is just the fourth man to defeat Nadal at the third Masters 1000 event of the year. The 31-year-old adds his name next to Novak Djokovic (2013, ’15), David Ferrer (2014) and Guillermo Coria (2003) on the exclusive list. 

In the opening game, Fognini found success returning deep into Nadal’s forehand. The Italian took advantage of short replies from the Spaniard to gain court position, firing winners to earn an early break. But Nadal quickly found his rhythm on his forehand, opening up the court with angles to move Fognini across the baseline and extract errors for a 3-1 lead.

From there, Fognini bounced back in emphatic fashion to take the opening set. The Italian continued his attack on Nadal’s forehand, driving backhands cross-court to break serve for a 5-4 lead. In the next game, Fognini maintained his attacking mentality, charging the net behind his serve to take a one-set lead.

Buoyed by an electric atmosphere in the crowd, Fognini charged towards the finish line in set two. The 31-year-old took time away from Nadal at every opportunity, striking any available short balls to push Nadal out of position and into errors.

Nadal managed to save three consecutive match points at 5-0, 40/0, before breaking for a third time to extend the match. But Fognini ended his comeback, cracking a forehand up the line from the tramline to hand Nadal his fifth loss at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (71-5).

Nadal was bidding to reach his 13th final in Monte-Carlo and match Roger Federer’s record for most final appearances at Masters 1000 level (50). The Manacor native owns a 33-16 record in his 49 championship matches at Masters 1000 level, which includes an 11-1 record at this event.

“It was a tough day and [Fabio] was a difficult opponent,” said Nadal. “I am coming from low moments in terms of injuries, and in terms of the mental side it has not been easy to accept all the things that have been going on… It was this kind of day that everything was wrong.”

Did You Know?
Since the ATP Masters 1000 series began in 1990, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters championship match has never featured two first-time finalists.

Dusan Lajovic pulled off a stunner on Saturday to reach the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final, winning 12 of the final 13 games from 1-5 down to defeat Russian Daniil Medvedev. Not only is this his first ATP Masters 1000 final, but it’s his first ATP Tour championship match. Lajovic’s only previous quarter-final at this level came last year in Madrid, where he defeated Juan Martin del Potro.

“If he’s able to play every tournament as he has been playing this one, I’m sure he’s going to become Top 20 after the clay court season,” Medvedev said of Lajovic.

ATPTour.com takes a closer look at the 28-year-old Serbian…

1. Playing Tennis Was A Coincidence
In a way, there was a bit of luck involved with Lajovic becoming a tennis player. Tennis was the only sport available for his age group when the Serbian began playing at seven.

If he did not become a tennis player, the 28-year-old would have tried competing in football. Lajovic is an avid FC Barcelona fan.

2. The Serbian Made A Key Change
Two-and-a-half years ago, Lajovic hired Jose Perlas as his coach. Perlas has worked with the likes of Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Guillermo Coria, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Fabio Fognini and Lajovic’s countryman, Janko Tipsarevic.

Lajovic says that Perlas is one of the best coaches on the ATP Tour, and he feels that decision was a boon for his career.

“This was the key change to finally work on the right things in my tennis and to finally believe that I can do this,” Lajovic told ATP Tennis Radio. “Obviously if he believes that I can do it I have to believe it myself and I started believing, so that’s the biggest change I would say in my game.”

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Recent Interview With Lajovic:

3. He Owns A Coffee Shop
Lajovic owns a coffee shop in Belgrade called “Laboratorije Kafe”. While he does not have his own coffee line like Indian doubles star Rohan Bopanna, Lajovic enjoys the cafe.

“It’s in the building where I live, so it’s really handy. I wake up, I go for a coffee,” Lajovic said. “We have all these chemical glasses for the smoothies. It’s a little bit like a nerdy cafe. But I enjoy spending my time there and it’s more of a hobby than any business idea. It’s great to have something besides tennis and I’m interested in a lot of things, so this is one of them.”

4. Lajovic Underwent Hernia Surgery 16 Months Ago
Lajovic underwent a hernia surgery on 1 November 2017, and he would lose six of his first seven tour-level matches in 2018. Dating back to the end of 2017, he lost 10 of 11 matches. And while that lull saw him drop from the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since September 2015, he has been on the rise ever since.

The Belgrade native’s best ATP Ranking before the surgery was 57th in October 2014. But he is currently 48th in the world and he is projected to crack the Top 25 on Monday, which will be his career-best.

5. He Has Been Battling A Blister This Week
You wouldn’t be able to tell by his form in the Principality, but Lajovic has struggled with a blister throughout the tournament. Nevertheless, he has not lost a set en route to the final.

“It’s pain every day. It takes a while to get ready to go on the court,” Lajovic said. “I’m going to cut that toe off if it means I can play tomorrow.”

Dusan Lajovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday in a battle of first-time ATP Masters 1000 semi-finalists, winning 12 of the final 13 games to reach the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final.

The World No. 48 is the lowest-ranked Monte-Carlo finalist since No. 53 Hicham Arazi in 2001, advancing after one hour and 35 minutes. He converted six of 12 break points en route to victory. Lajovic is only the second player to reach his first tour-level final at an ATP Masters 1000 event since 2013. Lajovic’s countryman, Filip Krajinovic, achieved the feat at the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters final (l. to Sock).

Lajovic is yet to drop a set in the Principality this week. The Serbian has defeated Malek Jaziri, David Goffin, Dominic Thiem, Lorenzo Sonego and Medvedev en route to the championship match.

Lajovic had never won four consecutive tour-level matches before arriving at the Monte-Carlo Country Club this week. But with his fifth straight win, the 28-year-old is one win away from his first ATP Tour title.

Standing between Lajovic and the trophy will be 11-time champion Rafael Nadal or two-time Monte-Carlo semi-finalist Fabio Fognini. Lajovic trails Nadal 0-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and has never met Fognini at tour-level.

It was a windy day on Court Rainier III, with Medvedev playing consistently from the baseline and taking advantage of early Lajovic errors to storm to a 5-1 lead. When presented with an opportunity, the Russian transitioned to net well, appearing in good position to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final.

But his serving, typically a strength, became his undoing. Medvedev won just 42 per cent of his first serve points. By comparison, he earned 70 per cent of his first-serve points in his quarter-final win against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Later in the first set and increasingly as the match wore on, Lajovic found his range, hitting with depth on his returns to earn opportunities to attack with his forehand. After Lajovic levelled the first set at 5-5, Medvedev had only managed to land 39 per cent of his first serves. Varying the pace on his backhand, the Serbian claimed his third consecutive break to serve for the set at 6-5 and converted his third set point with a deep cross-court forehand.

Lajovic rode the momentum into the second set, charging into a 4-0 lead with great court coverage and anticipation to claim his 10th straight game. The unseeded Serbian continued to find success on his forehand and, shortly after Medvedev held serve to end the run of 10 games against him, Lajovic claimed victory with a deep backhand slice as the 10th seed fired a backhand beyond the baseline.

Medvedev was bidding to reach his first Masters 1000 final following back-to-back wins against Top 10 opposition. The 23-year-old defeated sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to reach the last four, extending his tour-leading win total in 2019 to 21 (21-7).

Tennis in Asia is in the midst of a golden age. With World No. 6 Kei Nishikori leading the charge for Japan, 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung flying the flag for South Korea, freshly-minted Top 100 star Prajnesh Gunneswaran enjoying a breakthrough campaign for India, and China steadily establishing itself as an emerging force, the continent is enjoying great success in recent years.

While it might not have the championship pedigree of its neighbors, Chinese Taipei is also making great strides on the professional circuit. Located off the east coast of China’s mainland, the island is finding its footing on the ATP Challenger Tour, with a pair of veterans and a pair of emerging stars flying the flag.

For nearly 20 years, Yen-hsun Lu has been the driving force. The highest-ranked player to hail from Chinese Taipei, he ascended to No. 33 in the ATP Rankings in 2010 after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Also the all-time Challenger titles leader (29) and a member of the ATP Player Council, Lu has long been the tennis inspiration in his home island of just 23 million people.

But, as the 35-year-old’s career nears its conclusion, a new contingent has assumed the mantle. Led by World No. 134 Jason Jung, a three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion and former standout at the University of Michigan, tennis in Chinese Taipei is entering its most successful era. Jung is joined by 17-year-old Chun-hsin Tseng and 20-year-old Tung-lin Wu as three of four players in the Top 500 of the ATP Rankings.

At the age of 29, Jung recently reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final on the grass of Newport in 2018 and followed that with another quarter-final showing two months ago in New York. He is proud of how far tennis has come in Chinese Taipei.

“Rendy has always been so solid. Reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and he has the most Challenger titles. And we also had a guy named Jimmy Wang who was a Top 100 player,” said Jung. “We’ve always been pretty good, but I think the transition has been tougher for us from juniors to pros. Our guy who made the final in Santiago (Wu) doesn’t normally play on clay, so that was a big result. For these guys it’s good, because once one does well the others will start to believe that they can too, and it builds from there.

“I changed nationalities in 2015 and the federation has helped me quite a bit. I’m the No. 1 guy now. I want to set a good example and pass on my good traits and work ethic to the younger guys. A lot of them haven’t had the experiences I’ve had. It’s a pretty small country. It helps to have us doing well so it inspires the younger guys.”

Jung after winning the title in San Francisco in 2018

Nicknamed Jason and Tony, respectively, 17-year-old Tseng and 20-year-old Wu are hoping to take Chinese Taipei to even greater heights in the tennis landscape. Tseng is just beginning his pro journey, following a highly successful junior career that included titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2018. And last month he would earn his biggest professional victory to date, advancing to the second round at the Phoenix Challenger with an upset of Jung from a set down.

“I’ve always really respected Jason and he’s now our No. 1 player. We’ve practised many times before and know each other very well,” said Tseng. “And I’m also very good friends with Tony. He texted me right after I won that match in Phoenix. We communicate about tennis all the time and talk about how we’re doing. Seeing him do well motivates me. It gives me more confidence. Also many Asian players are doing well, reaching the Top 100 and Top 50. Yoshihito Nishioka too.”

Tseng carries a unique background to the tour. He admits that without his family, none of this would be possible. While his father Yu Te Tseng travels with him throughout the year, his mother Chung Han Tsai remains in Taipei City to run the family’s food stand at the Lehua night market. There, she sells tanghulu, a treat made of glazed fruit and tomatoes on a stick, coated in a hardened sugar syrup.

“I want to support my family, but for me, it’s no pressure. I want to be like the other great Asian players. I focus on what I do in practise and keep improving every day. In the future, I have to play at a higher level. My opponents in Challengers are always very fit, so I need to get stronger physically and mentally. It’s very important. In the end, everyone has a good technical game and can hit a good ball, but you have to play well in the important points.”

Wu, meanwhile, is already finding his footing on the ATP Challenger Tour. In March, the 20-year-old burst onto the scene with a stunning run to the final in Santiago, Chile. Entering the week, he had never won consecutive matches in his fledgling Challenger career, but that would all change on the Chilean clay. The young man they call Tony would topple clay-court stalwarts Facundo Bagnis, Thiago Monteiro and Pablo Andujar, before succumbing to Hugo Dellien in the final. Five wins in six days saw him vault to the Top 20 of the ATP Race To Milan and just outside the Top 300 of the ATP Rankings.

“I was actually very surprised by my performance there,” said Wu. “There were three Challengers during that period in China, but my ranking was not good enough to get in. That’s why I went to Santiago and tried to get some [ATP Rankings] points. Even though I loss the final, that was still an exciting week for me.

“I believe tennis in Chinese Taipei is getting better and better. I do hope to become a role model for the younger generation. This is the reason I started my own blog and shared lots of thoughts of being a professional tennis player. I hope my experiences can help others.

“I am very happy that Jung and Tseng are also doing so well. I get along with them and seeing them making so much progress actually pushes me to get better. I think this good atmosphere could be an extra boost for tennis in Chinese Taipei.”

Perhaps part of the reason for the recent tennis renaissance in Chinese Taipei is the success of their two biggest tournaments. The ATP Challenger Tour descends on the island twice a year – in the capital of Taipei City in April and the metropolis of Kaohsiung in September. Last week, Dennis Novak lifted the trophy in Taipei’s sixth edition, while Gael Monfils thrilled the crowd with a title run in Kaohsiung’s seventh edition in 2018.

In fact, with multiple tournaments at the highest Challenger levels (110 & 125), Chinese Taipei joins China, France, Italy, Mexico, the UK and USA as the only countries and territories with that distinction. Already boasting a pair of world-class events and with a handful of players on the rise, Chinese Taipei is fast becoming an integral part of the Asian tennis scene.

Daniil Medvedev has had a big week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

On Friday, he upset World No. 1 and two-time champion Novak Djokovic to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. A day earlier, he knocked out World No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas. It marks the first time Medvedev has posted back-to-back wins over Top 10 opponents.

Earlier this week, the 23-year-old Russian matched Roger Federer’s match wins total for the season, and he’s since taken the tour lead (21-6 record including his quarter-final win). Medvedev also joins the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the top of another leaderboard: title leaders since 2018.

Here’s a look at his career highlights to date:

1. He Has Won Four ATP Titles
Medvedev is one of only five players to have won four or more titles since the start of the 2018 season, joining Roger Federer (6), Rafael Nadal (5), Novak Djokovic (5) and Dominic Thiem (4).

Medvedev’s four titles have all come on hard courts:
2018 Sydney International, d. Alex de Minaur 16 64 75
2018 Winston-Salem Open, d. Steve Johnson 64 64
2018 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, d. Kei Nishikori 62 64
2019 Sofia Open, d. Marton Fucsovics 64 63

Read: Medvedev Cruises To Sofia Title

2. He Has The Most Hard Court Wins Since 2018
From the start of the 2018 season to the conclusion of the 2019 March Masters, Medvedev leads the tour in match wins on hard courts, with 55 to Federer’s 54. Here are the hard-court leaders during that 15-month period:

Meanwhile, on clay, Medvedev’s four match wins this week are twice as many as he’d posted in his entire career entering Monte-Carlo. 

3. He Wasn’t Even Supposed To Be In Sydney For That Maiden Title
Medvedev was hoping to compete in Auckland rather than Sydney in January 2018 because his girlfriend (now wife) had a visa for New Zealand. He couldn’t get into the Auckland main draw, so ended up competing in Sydney as a qualifier. The 84th-ranked Medvedev posted main draw wins over Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fabio Fognini en route to the final, where he defeated home favourite de Minaur.

Read: Daniil Does It! Medvedev Wins First Title

“The first title changes anybody,” he reflects in his ATP My Story delivered by FedEx. “It gave me a big push in the year.”

4. His Biggest Title Came At The ATP 500 Tournament In Tokyo
Medvedev had to go through qualifying at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, and followed with an impressive run to the ATP 500 title. He did not drop a set in defeating Diego Schwartzman, Martin Klizan, Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov. In the final, he conceded just six games against two-time champion Nishikori.

“I’ve been showing amazing tennis here,” he said at the time. “I’m happy that what I have been doing all season in practice, physical workouts, worked out here in Tokyo. This is my biggest title, so I’m just really happy.”

Read: Medvedev Wins Biggest Title Yet In Tokyo

5. He Continues To Climb In The Rankings
Medvedev entered Monte-Carlo at a career-high No. 14 in the ATP Rankings, and will continue his climb after reaching his first Masters 1000 semi-final. He was outside the Top 60 at the start of August 2018, and broke into the Top 20 two months later following his title wins in Winston-Salem and Tokyo.

Read: Medvedev Masters Winson-Salem

“If someone at this moment had told me I would be Top 50 or Top 20 at one point, I would probably say, ‘Stop dreaming, maybe one day I’m going to be, but I’m not sure.’ And when you’re here, you just want to continue improving,” he says in his My Story interview.

6. He’s A #NextGenATP Graduate
Two years ago, Medvedev competed at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and reached the semi-finals. From that Class of 2017, half are inside the Top 20: Karen Khachanov (No. 12), Borna Coric (No. 13), Medvedev (No. 14) and Denis Shapovalov (No. 20). Meanwhile, 2017 alternate Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom Medevedev defeated in the Monte-Carlo third round, is No. 8.

ATP Firsts: Medvedev’s First Autograph, Concert & More

Eleven-time champion Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini will face off for a 15th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head for a place in the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final. The other match Saturday features two first-time ATP Masters 1000 semi-finalists, Daniil Medvedev and Dusan Lajovic. 

Full preview to come…

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2019

COURT RAINIER III start 11:30 am
Robin Haase (NED) / Wesley Koolhof (NED) vs [3] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) 
Not Before 1:30 pm
[10] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 
Not Before 3:30 pm
[13] Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) 
Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) vs [7] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO) 

Italian Fabio Fognini claimed the last spot in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals on Friday, recovering from a set down to beat Croat Borna Coric 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

“I think I was a little bit lucky,” said Fognini, who will face 11-time champion Rafael Nadal in the last four. “I’m happy because I’m playing my second semi-final here. Happy because of course I’ve tried to do my best all week and now it’s time to play with a really good player.”

The 31-year-old saved five of eight break points to reach his second semi-final in the Principality after one hour and 59 minutes. Six years ago, Fognini defeated Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet in back-to-back matches to reach the last four in Monte-Carlo for the first time (l. to Djokovic).

In the first round, Andrey Rublev led Fognini 6-4, 4-1, but the Italian battled through and has played some of his best tennis since. The 13th seed beat World No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Coric to reach his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

Entering the tournament, Fognini was on a five-match losing streak on clay. He improves to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2head series against Coric, after winning their only previous encounter at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag in 2014.

Fognini will meet Nadal for a spot in the final. The World No. 18 has won just three of 14 FedEx ATP Head2Head matches against Nadal, with each of his three victories coming in 2015.

“Everywhere it’s difficult with him. I’ll just try to enjoy this match, try to recover as best I can, eat well, sleep well, play with [my son] Federico a little bit before I sleep and tomorrow is another day,” Fognini said. “I’ll try to do my best game. I know that it’s difficult, but I have the game to play against him.”

Coric appeared to be in control of the match, taking a one-set lead after 27 minutes. The ninth seed proved too consistent for Fognini from the baseline in the opening set, committing just one unforced error compared to 11 from Fognini.

But the Italian, after dropping his opening service game in the second set, soon found success. Fognini attacked Coric’s backhand to break serve for the second time at 4-3 and levelled the match in the following game to the delight of the crowd on Court Rainier III.

The World No. 18, who brought Coric forward to create passing-shot opportunities throughout the match, earned an immediate service break in the decider. The eight-time tour-level titlist moved forward to earn break point and was gifted the break as Coric misjudged his backhand return. A second break in the fifth game gave Fognini the opportunity to serve for the match, with the Italian converting his third match point to advance.

Coric was also aiming to reach his third Masters 1000 semi-final. The 22-year-old owns a 12-6 record at tour-level this year, which includes a run to the last four at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship (l. to Federer).

Rafael Nadal had dropped only nine games in his previous five sets against Guido Pella, but the Spaniard was forced to work hard for his 18th straight match win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday, defeating the Argentine 7-6(1), 6-3.

“It was a very tough first set physically and mentally, too. Losing the first three games with my serve was tough. But I found a way at the right time,” Nadal said. “I was lucky at 4-1, he had two points to be 5-1 and with 5-1 it’s almost impossible. I was lucky to escape that moment and then I played better… I’m very happy to be through. Being in the semi-finals again here means a lot to me.”

The 11-time champion, who found himself one point away from a 1-5 deficit on three occasions in the first set, is now within two wins of his 12th title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Nadal converted seven of 13 break points to advance after two hours and 20 minutes.

Nadal has now swept 25 consecutive sets on Court Rainier III since dropping the second set of his opening match in 2017 to Kyle Edmund. Pella became the first man since the Brit to earn more than four games in a single set against the 11-time champion at this event.

Nadal is now just one win away from his 13th championship match (11-1) in the Principality, following wins against Australian Open quarter-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut, 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov and Pella.

The 32-year-old will meet Borna Coric or Fabio Fognini in the semi-finals. Nadal owns a 2-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Coric and leads Fognini 11-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Interview With Toni Nadal:

The Spaniard improves to 71-4 at the third ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. The last player to defeat Nadal at this tournament was Novak Djokovic in the 2015 semi-finals. Djokovic is responsible for two of Nadal’s four losses (2013, ’15). The only other men to defeat Nadal in the Principality are David Ferrer (2014) and Guillermo Coria (2003).

Pella did not show any nerves when faced with the prospect of playing 11-time champion Nadal on Court Rainier III. The Argentine raced into a 4-1 lead, attacking the second seed’s forehand and moving up the court in crucial moments to break the Spaniard in his opening three service games. But Nadal found his way back into the set and, after trading breaks at 5-5 to reach a tie-break, the 80-time tour-level titlist charged into a one-set lead.

Nadal dropped only one point in a dominant tie-break, playing with consistent depth to force Pella into defensive positions. This year’s Australian Open finalist fired a backhand passing shot up the line to earn six set points, taking advantage of his second opportunity with an overhead.

Once again, Nadal found the target with a backhand up the line en route to a break in the opening game of the second set. The 32-year-old soon doubled his advantage to lead 4-1 with an angled cross-court forehand and, despite failing to serve out the match, Nadal broke Pella for the seventh time to reach the last four.

“He’s playing a great season and winning a lot of matches on clay, playing one final, winning in Sao Paulo, playing the semi-finals in Buenos Aires,” Nadal said of Pella. “[It’s a] lot of matches in a row for him and he has plenty of confidence.”

Pella was aiming to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final after an impressive start to the 2019 season. The Argentine, who owns a 17-8 record this year, advanced to two ATP Tour championship matches during the ‘Golden Swing’ in February. After falling to Juan Ignacio Londero in the inaugural Cordoba Open final, Pella defeated Cristian Garin to lift his first ATP Tour title at the Brasil Open.

The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, an ATP 500 tournament, has been held at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, the oldest Spanish tennis club, since 1953. Fourteen of the past 16 editions have been won by Spaniards: Rafael Nadal (2005-09, 2011-13, 2016-18), Carlos Moya (2003), Tommy Robredo (2004) and Fernando Verdasco (2010). Japan’s Kei Nishikori won back-to-back titles in 2014-15. 

Nadal will look to win the Trofeo Conde de Godo for a 12th time in 2019, and will be joined in the field by Nishikori and former finalists Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Here’s all you need to know about Barcelona tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who won and more. 

Established:1953

Tournament Dates: 23-28 April 2019

Tournament Director: Albert Costa

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 20 April at 12pm

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 10:00am and Sunday at 12:15pm
* Main draw: Monday – Thursday at 11:00am, Friday at 12:30pm and Saturday at 1:30am
* Doubles final: Sunday, 28 April at 1:00pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 28 April not before 4:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV  

Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899
Main Court Seating: 8,000

Prize Money: €2,609,135 (Total Financial Commitment: € 2,746,455) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now 

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (11)
Most Titles, Doubles: Daniel Nestor (4)
Oldest Champion: Manuel Santana, 32, in 1970
Youngest Champion: Mats Wilander, 18, in 1982
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1979): No. 65 Todd Martin in 1998
Most Match Wins: Rafael Nadal (58) 

2018 Finals
Singles: [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) d Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 62 61   Read & Watch
Doubles: Feliciano Lopez (ESP) / Marc Lopez (ESP) d Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) / Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) 76(5) 64  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #bcnopenbs
Facebook: @barcelonaopenbancsabadell
Twitter: @bcnopenbs
Instagram: @bcnopenbs

Did You Know… It’s a tradition for the singles and doubles champions to take a dive in the pool at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899.