Google News
Rafael Nadal entered the Canada Masters as world no. 1 five years ago. Nadal played well in Toronto, reaching his first final at this event since 2013! Nadal took down the first-time Masters 1000 semi-finalist Karen Khachanov 7-6, 6-4 in an hour and 49 minutes after a tight battle.
The former champion controlled the scoreboard despite a close scoreboard, facing only one break point and creating seven opportunities on the return. The Russian repelled five of those to stay in contention. Still, it was not enough to win at least a set and extend the clash in his finest Masters 1000 performance.
It was Nadal's 39th win from 42 encounters in 2018, qualifying for the ATP Finals as the first player! The Spaniard had 22 winners and unforced errors. At the same time, Khachanov stood on a negative 24-37 ratio, making too many mistakes from his forehand while trying to maintain an aggressive approach and keep the upper hand in the rallies.
Rafael Nadal beat Karen Khachanov to advance to the 2018 Toronto final.
The youngster had the edge in the more extended exchanges, losing ground to Rafa in the shortest and mid-range ones. Nadal held in the encounter's opening game after a few deuces and grabbed a break in the next one thanks to Khachanov's loose forehand.
Karen broke back at love in game three when Rafa's forehand landed long and gained a boost. It was a significant moment for his confidence, as he served well to remain in touch with a great rival. The Russian saved a break chance with an ace in game eight and fired three winners at 5-6 to set up a tie break.
Khachanov's forehand let him down in the worst moment. He lost two points on serve to fall 5-2 behind, allowing Rafa to clinch the breaker 7-3 with another mini-break in the tenth point after 61 minutes. Carried by this momentum, Nadal lost just six points on serve in set number two and kept the pressure on the other side.
Khachanov could not follow that pace, getting broken in game three when his forehand finished in the net. A fantastic forehand down the line winner earned another break chance for Rafa in game five, denied by Karen's mighty forehand.
The Russian brought the game home after a few more deuces to stay within one break deficit, having to steal Nadal's serve to extend the battle. That was the last big moment of the match, though, as Rafa drove fast toward the finish line.
The Spaniard sealed the deal in game ten with a Pete Sampras-like smash, holding at love and setting the title clash versus Stefanos Tsitsipas.