Nadal eases into Hamburg Open final

hamburg, August 1

Rafael Nadal will have revenge on his mind when he clashes against Fabio Fognini for the Hamburg Open title on Sunday.

Nadal made quick work of another Italian, Andreas Seppi, in reaching his third Hamburg final and 96th overall on the ATP World Tour. He capitalised on his second match point to prevail 6-1 6-2 in 80 minutes, firing 21 winners.

The 2008 champion improved his record on clay this season to 25-6, and will look to extend his streak of having won at least one European clay-court title every year since 2004.

Nadal will square off against Fognini for the third time this season at an ATP World Tour 500 event, with the Italian claiming a pair of upsets in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. He is just the second player to defeat Nadal multiple times on clay in a single season (Novak Djokovic did it in 2011 and this year).

Fognini, the 2013 Hamburg Open champion, needed one hour and 24 minutes to dispatch French qualifier Lucas Pouille 6-2 7-6(2). 

The Italian won 93 percent (25 of 27) of first serve points, while saving both break points faced. Pouille was on the brink of forcing a decider when Fognini faced a set point on serve at 6-5 in the second, but the eighth seed reeled off nine of the next 11 points to claim victory. — Agencies

Serena withdraws from Stanford with elbow injury 

Stanford: World No. 1 and defending champion Serena Williams withdrew from next week’s WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford with a right elbow injury, organisers said. “I’m disappointed to have to withdraw from the Bank of the West Classic, but I need to get my elbow back to 100 percent,” Williams said in a statement released by tournament officials. “The tournament is one of my favorites and the fans have always been so generous and supportive of me. I wish all of the players much success and I hope to return next year.” The 33-year-old American had planned to start her buildup to the US Open in Stanford. She’s coming off a Wimbledon triumph that marked her fourth straight Grand Slam victory. — AFP