SHANGHAI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Rafael Nadal's growing confidence
was clear for all to see as the Spaniard dismissed Stan Wawrinka
6-2, 6-1 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Shanghai Rolex
Masters.
Nadal might not have received the test he expected from a tired
Wawrinka, who toiled for almost three hours on Thursday to overcome
former US Open winner Marin Cilic.
The eighth seeded Spaniard, who reached the Beijing final last
week, needed just 63 minutes to send the Swiss fourth seed crashing
out.
"Being in the semifinals is a great result for me," said Nadal.
"I hadn't played the semifinals on hard court all year and now I am
playing two weeks in a row in the final rounds. That's a big
improvement for me. In terms of confidence, in terms of level of
tennis, I am playing better. Very happy for that because I am
working so hard."
From 2-2 in the first set, Nadal started to surge and reel off
nine straight games before Wawrinka chalked up a game in the second
set to avoid a bagel.
Having lost his past two contests with Wawrinka, Nadal improved
to a 13-2 overall head-to-head record against the Roland Garros
champion.
As he looks to reach his sixth ATP World Tour final of the
season, the Spaniard will face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whom
he has beaten in eight of their past 11 meetings.
"It is a court that he likes to play on," said Nadal. "The court
is quick. He feels comfortable on these surfaces because he has a
huge serve, very, very good forehand. He likes to hit the serve and
then hit the forehand and go to the net. He's a very competitive
player. When he's in the semifinals it's because he's playing well.
So it will be a very tough match.
"I hope to play well, keep doing like every day, playing a
little bit better every day. I hope tomorrow to continue with that
improvement," he added. Enditem
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