Rafael Nadal shrugged off a controversial doping storm to move closer to a dream Wimbledon title clash against Roger Federer with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen on Thursday.
The 20-year-old Spaniard became the first French Open champion to reach the last four here in the same year since Andre Agassi in 1999 after a dominant victory over his fellow left-hander.
Nadal, the second seed, will now take on Marcos Baghdatis for a place in Sunday’s final after the Cypriot knocked out 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt.
The build-up to the match had been oversahdowed by a newspaper report linking Nadal with the ongoing doping investigation that has engulfed Spanish cycling.
He has vehemently denied all allegations of wrong-doing and has already instigated legal action to clear his name.
”I was playing on clay just four weeks ago so to reach the semifinals here for the first time makes me very happy,” said Nadal, who is bidding to become the first Spaniard to win the men’s title since Manolo Santana in 1966.
”The match with Baghdatis will be very tough. After beating Lleyton, he will be very confident.”
Rain on Wednesday meant Nadal and Nieminen, the 22nd seeded Finn, had been forced to wait 24 hours to get their quarterfinal underway, but the Spaniard was unperturbed, breaking to lead 3-1 in the first set with a vicious forehand crosscourt pass.
He had the opening set wrapped up after 40 minutes and it wasn’t until the second game of the second set that Nieminen managed to carve out a break point.
The Finn was unable to take advantage of it and Nadal made him pay by digging out the crucial break in the ninth game on his way to a two-set lead.
Nieminen had another chance to break the Nadal serve in the fourth game of the third set.
He was unable to convert it and again Nadal punished him by breaking for 4-3 before holding to go 5-3.
The Finn grimly clung on but the young Spaniard, who had never made it past the third round here before this year, took the match with a smart volley after two hours and 14 minutes on court. — AFP
