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.

The Hungarian Open made its debut in 2017, marking the first time that Hungary has hosted an ATP Tour event. France’s Lucas Pouille won the inaugural edition of the clay-court event, with Marco Cecchinato of Italy lifting the trophy in 2018.

Cecchinato returns in 2019 to defend his title, and will be joined in the Budapest field by Marin Cilic, Borna Coric and Nikoloz Basilashvili. 

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

Established: 2017

Tournament Dates: 23-28 April 2019

Tournament Director: Attila Richter

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 20 April at 5:30pm

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 11:00am, Saturday from 12:30pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 28 April at 1:00pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 28 April at 3:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV  

Venue: Sport11 Sport and Event Center
Main Court Seating: 3,882

Prize Money: € 524,340 (Total Financial Commitment: € 586,140) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now 

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

Honour Roll
Most Titles, Singles: Marco Cecchinato, Lucas Pouille (1)
Most Titles, Doubles: Brian Baker, Nikola Mektic, Dominic Inglot, Franko Skugor (1)
Oldest Champion: Marco Cecchinato, 25, in 2018
Youngest Champion: Lucas Pouille, 23, in 2017
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 92 Marco Cecchinato in 2018
Most Match Wins: Aljaz Bedene (7) 

2018 Finals
Singles: [LL] Marco Cecchinato (ITA) d John Millman (AUS) 75 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: Dominic Inglot (GBR) / Franko Skugor (CRO) d [4] Matwe Middelkoop (NED) / Artem Molteni (ARG) 67(8) 61 10-8  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #HungarianOpen
Facebook: @huntennis
Twitter: @HUNgarianTennis
Instagram: @hungariantennis

Top seed Novak Djokovic may be disappointed with his quarter-final loss against Russian Daniil Medvedev on Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but one thing he doesn’t need to worry about — at least not yet — is his position at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

That’s because, regardless of World No. 2 Rafael Nadal’s performance in the Principality the rest of the week, Djokovic will actually increase his lead on Monday. If Nadal wins a record 12th Monte-Carlo title, he will retain the 1,000 points he earned in Monaco last year. Djokovic, on the other hand, advanced one round further than he did in 2018, making the last eight, so he will add 180 points, an increase of 90 from a season ago.

In fact, Djokovic will have an opportunity to gain ground on the Spaniard throughout the clay-court season. Even if Nadal wins every tournament he plays, and Djokovic loses in the opening round of all of his events on the red dirt, the World No. 2 will not be able to catch Djokovic during the European spring clay swing. If Nadal lifts his 34th ATP Masters 1000 trophy on Sunday, he will still trail Djokovic by 2,435 points.

After Monte-Carlo last year, both Djokovic and Nadal competed at Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. During that span, Djokovic earned 765 points and Nadal tallied 3,680 points. The Serbian is not currently scheduled to play in Barcelona this year, but he did not earn any points there in 2018, so Nadal will have to defend 2,915 more points than Djokovic through Roland Garros.

The problem for Nadal is that he doesn’t have many points to gain. Even if he goes undefeated during this clay stretch, he can only add 820 points by winning the Mutua Madrid Open, where he lost in the quarter-finals in 2018. While it may not be probable, Djokovic could potentially add 3,235 points through the clay-court Grand Slam championship if he were to win out.

“[The] French Open is the ultimate goal on clay… for sure, it’s expected in a way for me to peak right at that tournament, because that’s what I’m aiming for,” Djokovic said. “This is only the first tournament on clay, and it’s a long season. Let’s see how it goes.”

Since the Australian Open, Djokovic has missed an opportunity to increase his lead by even more due to early losses in Indian Wells, Miami and now his quarter-final defeat in Monte-Carlo. In those three tournaments, the Serbian earned only 315 points of a possible 3,000.

But Nadal will have more of a chance to chase Djokovic’s top spot once the grass season rolls along. After Roland Garros, Djokovic will have 7,990 points to defend for the rest of the season, while Nadal will only have 2,420 points. For now, though, Djokovic’s grasp on World No. 1 is secure.

Daniil Medvedev entered the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters with two victories from 11 tour-level matches on clay, but that didn’t stop the Russian from claiming the biggest victory of his career on Friday.

The 23-year-old stunned Novak Djokovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, breaking the two-time former champion on five occasions to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. Medvedev had lost each of his previous three FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against Djokovic, but claimed his first victory over a World No. 1 after two hours and 20 minutes to move into the last four.

“It’s definitely the best match of my career. Not in terms of level of tennis, but definitely by the result. [It’s my] first Masters 1000 semi-final, beating No. 1 for the first time in my life,” Medvedev said. “[It’s] just amazing.”

Two days ago, Medvedev owned a 1-11 record against opponents inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. With back-to-back victories over World No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas and top-ranked Djokovic, the Sofia Open winner is two wins away from his maiden Masters 1000 crown.

Medvedev is just the second man to defeat Djokovic in nine quarter-finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Belgian David Goffin became the first man to achieve the feat in 2017.

“He’s got a very solid backhand. He doesn’t make many mistakes from the backhand. He hits it very low with depth. A windy day like today, conditions are changing every single game. It’s kind of tough to find the rhythm, and he doesn’t give you much rhythm,” Djokovic said. “He improved his movement a lot since last year. He definitely deserves to be where he is.”

Standing between Medvedev and a place in the final will be another Serbian oppponent; Dusan Lajovic. The World No. 48 backed up his shock win over World No. 5 Dominic Thiem with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego.

Alongside his title run in Sofia, Medvedev also advanced to the championship match at the Brisbane International (l. to Nishikori). The four-time ATP Tour titlist owns a tour-leading 21 victories this season (21-6), which is three more than second-placed Roger Federer (18-2) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (18-8). Medvedev was one of just two players (also Shapovalov) to take a set from Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open.

“He played worse than he did the times before and also I’m getting more experienced. I’m starting to make these top guys know that it’s tough to play against me,” Medvedev said. “In Australia he was at his best, but I made him run for the win and I was happy about my game. Here I knew if I kept up the level I had in Australia I would have my chances.”

Under heavy winds on Court Rainier III, Medvedev made the perfect start with a service break in the opening game. The Russian proved impenetrable from the baseline, with Djokovic failing to find the court after pressing with his forehand in extended rallies. Medvedev maintained his level from the back of the court, keeping his error count low to break for a second time and take the opening set. Djokovic committed 21 unforced errors compared to Medvedev’s six in the 39-minute opener.

Read: Why Djokovic’s No. 1 Ranking Is Safe… For Now

But Djokovic found his rhythm, grabbing a 2-1 lead in the second set with impeccable touch. The World No. 1 brought Medvedev into the net behind a well-placed backhand drop shot, before grabbing the break with a backhand lob. Djokovic held his advantage through to 5-4, where he levelled the match with back-to-back aces.

Medvedev was not deterred, though, capitalising on three consecutive unforced errors from Djokovic to take a 3-1 lead in the decider. Two games later, the tenth seed outmanoeuvred Djokovic in net exchanges to grab a second break. Despite failing to serve out the match on his first opportunity, Medvedev broke Djokovic for the fifth time with a backhand winner to claim victory.

Djokovic was bidding to reach his first tour-level semi-final since capturing a record-breaking seventh title at the Australian Open in January (d. Nadal). The World No. 1, who has lifted two titles in Monte-Carlo (2013, ’15), drops to 34-11 at the opening Masters 1000 event of the European clay swing.

Third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares were clinical on serve Friday to reach the Rolex Monte-Carlo semi-finals for the second time as a team, defeating Argentine-Portuguese duo Diego Schwartzman and Joao Sousa 7-5, 6-2.

Entering this ATP Masters 1000 tournament, Murray and Soares were searching for their best form, having lost four of their previous five tour-level matches together. But after battling through two tight Match Tie-breaks in the first two rounds, the British-Brazilian team defeated Schwartzman and Sousa in 63 minutes.

Murray and Soares made 80 per cent of their first serves, winning 87 per cent of those points to cruise through their service games. The veteran team did not face a break point in the match, breaking Schwartzman and Sousa on all three of their opportunities.

In the semi-finals, Murray and Soares will face Robin Haase and Wesley Koolhof. The Dutchmen ousted Moldovan Radu Albot and Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 7-5 , also in 63 minutes.

Haase and Koolhof have only competed together once before, losing in the first round at ’s-Hertogenbosch last year. But they have played well, breaking serve four times on Friday. Koolhof reached the Miami final alongside reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.

In the only other doubles quarter-final of the day, seventh seeds Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor upset second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 21 minutes. This is the first time Mektic and Skugor are playing together since Basel in 2017.

They will next play Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos, who advanced via walkover.

Less than 24 hours after securing the biggest win of his career against World No. 5 Dominic Thiem, Dusan Lajovic defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on Friday.

The Serbian was forced to save one set point at 4-5 (30/40) in the second set en route to his 10th tour-level victory of the season after one hour and 47 minutes. Lajovic was competing in his second Masters 1000 quarter-final, following his run to the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals last year (l. to Anderson).

Yet to drop a set this week, Lajovic will meet countryman Novak Djokovic or 10th seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the championship match. Lajovic managed to win one game in his most recent FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (0-2) against Djokovic in the first round at this event last year. The World No. 48 lost his only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter against Medvedev at the VTB Kremlin Cup last year.

Prior to his arrival at the Grand Prix Hassan II last week, Sonego had reached one tour-level quarter-final. But the Italian qualifier has produced the best tennis of his career to reach back-to-back quarter-finals in Marrakech and Monte-Carlo. Three days ago, Sonego claimed the biggest win of his career against Rolex Paris Masters champion Karen Khachanov.

Did You Know?

If Djokovic defeats Medvedev, Lajovic and the World No. 1 will become the first Serbian pairing to advance to the last four of a Masters 1000 event since the 2012 Rogers Cup. On that occasion, Djokovic defeated countryman Janko Tipsarevic in the semi-finals before cruising past Richard Gasquet to lift the trophy.

Guido Pella is playing the best tennis of his life. The 28-year-old, who became a first-time ATP Tour champion at Sao Paulo in March, is into the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time.

But the lefty knows that his next test at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will arguably be one of the toughest he has ever faced, as he gets set to play 11-time champion Rafael Nadal.

“He’s one of the legends of tennis,” Pella told ATP Tennis Radio. “He’s a very special player and to play against him in any tournament is a very special feeling. But I think here in Monte-Carlo, centre court is going to be an amazing atmosphere. Of course the crowd is going to be behind him because he’s the favourite.”

It won’t be the first time Pella has stood across the court from the second seed, having done so at Indian Wells two years ago and Roland Garros last season. In order, Nadal has won their five FedEx ATP Head2Head sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. The Spaniard has won 23 consecutive sets on Court Rainier III in Monaco, without any of those sets getting extended past 6-4.

“I need to do the perfect match to have a chance,” Pella said. “I hope to keep playing like this because I am feeling very good, I am feeling very confident in my game. If I play like this, maybe I will have a chance.”

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Interview With Pella:

Pella suffered what could have been a major mental setback in February. After losing his first three ATP Tour, finals, the Argentine led Juan Ignacio Londero by a set and a break in the Cordoba championship, closing in on a breakthrough.

But Pella could not hold on, finishing runner-up once more. In March, Pella bounced back by triumphing in Sao Paulo.

“It was karma for sure. I lost four finals and in those finals I didn’t play bad, but the fourth final in Cordoba was the worst final for me because I was playing really good. In that match, I couldn’t close it. I was a set up, break up, and well, that’s tennis. These things happen,” Pella said. “In Sao Paulo I did a very good job, a very good tournament overall and I deserved the win. After that I think a new career for me was born. So I’m really enjoying the moment.”

It’s been a magical ride over the past year or so for Pella. Marin Cilic won the first two sets of their match at Wimbledon 6-3, 6-1, before rain suspended play during the third set. The next day, Pella found his best level to oust the Croat, and he hasn’t looked back since. Pella also beat Cilic this week in Monte-Carlo.

“Last year I was playing really good but maybe I didn’t get the results that I wanted. But I think for the past year, year and a half, I’ve been playing really good,” Pella said. “This year is the best with the results, to win a tournament in Sao Paulo, another final in Cordoba, I’m very happy to be here in the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo. Playing like this, it’s not easy, so I’m very happy.”

Pella is projected to crack the Top 30 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. But he’s not worrying about that at the moment. He’s fully focused on Nadal.

“I want more. I don’t know where I can go. But I keep playing, I keep winning matches, so let’s see,” Pella said. “For now I’m really happy, I’m really enjoying the Tour right now because I’m winning, so it’s a lot easier that way. But I just want to focus because I have a very tough match and I will try to do the best job that I can.”