INDIAN WELLS: Nursing a nagging foot injury, Rafael Nadal improved to 18-0 this season, toppling big-serving American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.

“I can’t say it’s a dream because I even couldn’t dream about that three months ago, two months ago,” Nadal said. “I am just enjoying every single moment.”

Last year, Nadal’s playing time was interrupted by Covid-19 and injuries, creating doubt about the Spanish star’s ability to recover well enough to maintain his exacting standards. But he won his record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and has continued on a tear.

“I am just very happy to be playing tennis,” said Nadal, who turns 36 in June. “Today was a little bit worse than other days. It’s true that the last couple of days the foot has been bothering me a little bit more.”

Nadal has already withdrawn from the Miami Open that follows Indian Wells. He wants extra time to prepare for the clay court season that isn’t as punishing as hard courts.

If he can win his fourth title in the California desert, he will move into a tie with Novak Djokovic for the most Masters 1000 titles with 37.

To do so, the 21-time Grand Slam champion will need to defeat another huge server in Australian Nick Kyrgios, who advanced by walkover after Italian Jannik Sinner withdrew from the tournament due to illness.

Nadal was followed into the quarter-finals by 18-year-old compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who notched another breakthrough with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over 35-year-old Gael Monfils of France and next faces defending champion Cameron Norrie.

Norrie quashed a second-set rally bid from rising US talent Jenson Brooksby, who took a 3-0 lead in the second set only for Norrie to charge back to win 6-2, 6-4.

Taylor Fritz fired 14 aces in outlasting Alex de Minaur, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) and next plays Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia who overcame 14 aces by sixth seed Matteo Berrettini in a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 victory.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov beat American John Isner 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) and will face Andrey Rublev in the quarters after the Russian won a tight opening set before easing past Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(7-5), 6-4.

In women’s action, former world number one Simona Halep and third-seeded Iga Swiatek booked a semi-final showdown with a pair of lopsided victories.

Romania’s Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion and winner at Indian Wells in 2015, needed just 53 minutes to dispatch Croatian Petra Martic 6-1, 6-1. Poland’s Swiatek swept past American Madison Keys 6-1, 6-0 in 56 minutes.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2022