ROME — After losing in the semifinals of three consecutive clay-court tournaments, Rafael Nadal looked more like his old, dominant self when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday to reach the Italian Open final. It was a measure of revenge for Nadal after losing to Tsitsipas in three sets in a semifinal in Madrid a week earlier. This victory should also restore Nadal’s confidence as he seeks a record-extending 12th title at the French Open starting next weekend. “The main thing is I am playing better,” Nadal said. “If I play better, I know I’m going to have chances to be in finals and to win semifinal matches.”In Sunday’s final, Nadal will resume his rivalry with top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who faced an unusually high number of drop shots from Diego Schwartzman before winning, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3.

Source: New York Times May 18, 2019 17:36 UTC