Rafael Nadal must avenge two straight defeats to Fabio Fognini to secure a record 47th clay-court title at the Hamburg Open.
Nadal saw off Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2 to reach the Hamburg final for the second time, in his first appearance at the tournament since defeating Roger Federer for the 2008 crown.
Tennis: #Nadal eases past #Seppi to reach Hamburg final http://t.co/zEEjb8pCaN pic.twitter.com/tAX1P3n2cx
— The Straits Times (@STcom) August 1, 2015
For the Spaniard, it will be the 96th final of his career and his third in Hamburg, where he last won the title in 2008 by beating Roger Federer.
“I will try to keep playing well and enjoy today’s victory,” said Nadal, who has endured a tough 2015 in which he has lost his French Open title and slumped to his lowest ranking in a decade.
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“These are important points for me – 300 points for my goal of qualifying for the World Tour Finals is important. Matches like today help to bring you your confidence and your motivation for what you are doing.”
Nadal, the world No10, is now 25-6 on clay this season, and will look to extend his streak of having won at least one European claycourt title every year since 2004.
“From the beginning I played great, since the first game that I hit a few winners,” Nadal added.
“I was very comfortable on court today, feeling the ball well, with topspin to his backhand and then changing to his forehand down the line – a very important shot for me. In general it was a very positive match.
“Every victory is important. And this year with the ups and downs that I’ve had, obviously every improvement is important. I played at a very high level in the match.
“I’m very happy for that, playing with not many mistakes, very well with my backhand, very well with my forehand, hitting winners, changing speeds, changing directions. I think I played a great match.”
Fognini, seeded eighth, beat French youngster Lucas Pouille 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) in the other last-four showdown.
Frenchman Pouille saw off compatriot Benoit Paire in the quarter-finals, but could not pull off another shock victory.
