Rafael Nadal continued his clay court dominance as he lost just two games against World number 7, Dominic Thiem 6-0 6-2 to set up a Semi-Final meeting with Grigor Dimitrov.
This Quarter-Final match between two of the best clay courters in 2018 was a highly anticipated one and with their four clay court matches last year, you could see why this match had all the hype. However Nadal started where he left off in Roland Garros last year and put Thiem under immediate pressure.
The Spaniard used his aggressive patterns of play to force multiple errors from his Austrian opponent as he took an early 3-0 lead. Nadal continued his dominance as Thiem wasn’t allowed to settle into the match as the world number one was in full command on Court Ranier III. Arguably the greatest clay court player of all time, the Spaniard took the first set in 32 minutes.
Unfortunately for Thiem, he didn’t do himself any favours as his first serve percentage ended up at an atrocious 41%. However this didn’t bother Nadal as he dismantled the Austrian, to achieve what he did in the first set and take a 3-0 lead. Eventually after 51 minutes, Thiem decided to join the match and held to win his first game of the match, which was followed by a sympathetic roar from the crowd.
Despite some resistance, the world number seven couldn’t prevent the inevitable and after 68 minutes, the Spaniard ended Thiem’s misery to secure his 13th Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. A performance of epic proportions, which saw Thiem never really settle into the match as the Spaniard continues to extend his legacy.
Nadal will now play Grigor Dimitrov, who reached his first Semi-Final in Monaco after a 6-4 7-6(5) victory over David Goffin. The Bulgarian came back from 5-2 down and saved three set points to set up a showdown with Nadal on Saturday. Should Dimitrov pull off an upset tomorrow, he would have matched the clay court wins he achieved last season.
