Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal all advance at the Italian Open

ATP Tour

Michael Graham
May 16, 2019

Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal all advanced at the Italian Open on Thursday as double-duty was required to catch up on Wednesday’s weather wash-out.

Torrential rain on Wednesday left players with two matches to complete on Thursday, but all three of the top players in the world were able to come through it.

Rafael Nadal was in incredible form at the Italian Open on Thursday, dropping just two games across two matches.

The Spaniard first dismissed Jeremy Chardy 6-0, 6-1 before cruising past Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-0 in the afternoon.

“Playing two matches is a very dangerous day. I was able to manage it well,” Nadal said.

“I played well, especially I think better in the afternoon than the morning. Yeah, happy about that level in the afternoon.”

Djokovic also wasn’t really challenged, as he beat Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-3 before eliminating Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-0.

Roger Federer, on the other hand, had to really fight for his place in Friday’s quarter-finals.

Federer beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-3 initially but Borna Coric came close to defeating him.

The Croatian started brightly, but faded and allowed Federer to claim a hard-fought 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) win.

“The first set was really difficult, for me at least,” Federer admitted afterwards. “I really struggled to see the ball. There was a lot of shade on the court, and he did well, he’s a very steady player.

“I couldn’t chase the lines very well, so I couldn’t hit any winners, but I really tried to play in a way where I was not going to just lose it.

“I gave him a chance to win, and he didn’t, so I took it at the end.”

Federer will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight, with Djokovic meeting Juan Martin del Potro, and Nadal will play compatriot Fernando Verdasco.

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