Rafael Nadal makes an incredible ranking surge in a memorable Swedish Open campaign
Rafa could be ranked No.135 if he wins the title on Sunday.
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Rafael Nadal (via Imago)
22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has had a memorable campaign at the Bastad Open so far. The Spaniard was on the ropes after losing in the first round of Roland Garros against Alexander Zverev in May.
However, Nadal is now in his first ATP final since his 22nd Grand Slam win in Paris two years ago. His improvement and progress have also resulted in a surge in his ATP rankings.
Nadal has earned 165 points as a result of reaching the Bastad final on Saturday. Consequently, he has jumped 101 spots, going from 261st to 160th in the Live ATP Rankings.
If Nadal beats Nuno Borges, he will add 85 points to his ranking and move to 135th. The left-hander left the top 100 for the first time in almost two decades due to his prolonged absence in 2023 because of hip surgery.
Rafael Nadal reaches his first ATP final in two years
For the first time in over two years, Rafael Nadal is back in a final. On Saturday, ‘The King of Clay’ fought back from a set and a breakdown to beat Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Nordea Open. This victory puts him in his first tour-level final since the 2022 Roland Garros.
Nadal had a tough match on Friday, winning a nearly four-hour marathon against Mariano Navone in Bastad. He struggled at the start against Croatian qualifier Ajdukovic, but found his rhythm. Despite dropping serve in the second set’s opening game, he broke his inexperienced opponent’s serve five times in the next two sets to win the two-hour, 13-minute semi-final.
Even after losing a double-break lead in the deciding set, Nadal regained control. Ajdukovic came back from 0-3 to tie 3-3, but the 38-year-old broke again and held his serve to secure the win.
Nadal’s performance was more consistent than his match against Navone. He was very effective on return, converting all six break points against Ajdukovic. Now 11-8 for the season, the Spaniard will face seventh seed Nuno Borges in the final.
Borges defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante to reach his first ATP Tour final. Nadal is on a nine-match winning streak in Bastad, having last won the trophy there in 2005.
In case you missed it!
- Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from his men’s doubles semi-final match alongside Casper Ruud
- Rafael Nadal beat Duje Ajdukovic in an exciting game to enter his first ATP Final in over 2 years
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Fahad Hamid
(626 Articles Published)