Rafael Nadal has a strange match against Joao Sousa in Madrid. The King of Clay demolished the Portuguese in the first set (6-0); then the rain come through and the conditions changed, and Sousa won the second set (6-4). Nadal found his way in the second part of the decider after he broke Joao in the 8^th game (5-3) before serving out the match. The final result was 6-0 4-6 6-3 and the match ended after 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Nadal. The rain played a significant role

Rafa commented “I played pretty well in the first set. Perhaps he made a few errors, but also I think I played with very high intensity in the first set. I was hurting him with my balls and playing long and I was in control of the point most of the time.

“Winning 6-0 a player like Joao in a quarter-final here in Madrid, it just doesn’t happen. After that, it started raining. The ball was a little bit heavier. I missed a few good opportunities. I had to suffer. I had to fight back and look for a solution. I managed to find a solution and solve it.”

The semifinal vs. Murray

Rafa will play the semifinal against his friend Andy Murray that has dismissed Berdych 6-3 6-2 in the quart-final. The head to head is 17-6 for Nadal that has a 7-1 record against Murray on clay.

THE DRAW