Rafael Nadal blitzed past Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday. Despite a straight-set victory, Nadal was given a tough fight by the Argentinian. Nadal who had double-breaks in the first two sets couldn't hold on to it as Schwartzman gave a spirited performance to take the break back.
It was Nadal's eighth consecutive quarterfinal win at the US Open. He will now face Matteo Berrettini at the semifinals while Medvedev and Dimitrov will play the other semifinals. Nadal is now 33-7 at the semifinals of grand slams with five of the losses coming at the Australian Open.
Nadal broke serve seven times, but also conceded four breaks in the clash which lasted two hours and 49 minutes. He hit 35 winners but made 39 unforced errors, which will be a cause for concern.
Another cause for concern would be the low percentage of first serves in (63 per cent). Should he reach the final to face Medvedev or Dimitrov, Nadal could face a serious problem. Nadal's dominance at the baseline was tested quiet a few times by Schwartzman who took on the Spaniard blow-for-blow.
