Despite not playing at his best, Rafael Nadal managed to defeat Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Bastad Open to advance to the championship match.
Ajdukovic takes the lead
Starting strong, 23-year-old Ajdukovic, ranked No. 130 in the world, broke Nadal’s first two service games to lead 3-0. Despite Nadal breaking back once, Ajdukovic won the first set 6-4.
In the second set, Ajdukovic broke in the first game and seemed poised for victory.
Nadal stages a comeback
Nadal fought back in the second set, breaking to level at 1-1 and then breaking again in the sixth game. He won the set 6-3, forcing a deciding third set.
In the final set, Nadal broke twice to lead 3-0 before Ajdukovic leveled at 3-3. Nadal broke again for a 4-3 lead and held on to win 6-4, advancing to the final.
In the final, Nadal will face the winner of the semi-final between Thiago Agustin Tirante and Nuno Borges.
Nadal had previously defeated Leo Borg, Cameron Norrie, and Mariano Navone before this victory.
Ajdukovic had wins over Luca Van Assche, Pavel Kotov, and Thiago Monteiro before facing Nadal.
Bastad ATP 250, other semi-final match (Båstads tennisstadion, clay, EUR 579,320):
- Thiago Agustin Tirante vs. Nuno Borges
