• ATP Tour

Shaky Nadal a shadow of usual self in Stepanek win

June 9, 2011

ATP Tour seedings

Rafael Nadal was far from impressive despite booking his fifth AEGON Championships quarter-final with victory over Radek Stepanek on Thursday.

Nadal has never failed to reach the last eight of the tournament, although only once has he lifted the title in 2008. Against Stepanek he looked a long way from the man who won Wimbledon last year, ultimately claiming a 6-3 5-7 6-1 result that was barely greeted as a triumph by the left-hander.

The pair had never previously met on grass, with Nadal winning all four encounters on alternative services. Stepanek, in his twilight years, is still a stubborn opponent, remaining solid from the baseline as he held serve for 2-2.

Riding a wave of confidence from his French Open triumph, Nadal looked a class apart in the first set, and he broke in the fifth game with a cross-court backhand jab. Stepanek instantly created three break-back points but could not convert as he fell a set behind.

Nadal did not look 100 per cent comfortable on court, clearly still making the footwork adjustments from clay to grass, but he looked like he had done enough when, after breaking again for 3-1 in the second, he served for the match. Two loose shots allowed Stepanek to break back though, and the inspired Czech began to utilise drop shots and volleys as he broke again to level at 1-1.

Nadal looked sluggish, his strokes lacking their usual zip, but he used his obvious anger in good fashion to roar to a 4-0 lead in the decider. Stepanek wasn't done, claiming a break back, but this time Nadal edged over the line in a victory that will give his Wimbledon rivals plenty of encouragement.

The world No. 1 will face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight after the Frenchman was afforded an easy path into the quarter-finals, thanks to an injury to Michael Llodra. Neither player had broken serve with the score at 4-3 when Llodra retired.

England's James Ward continues to impress at Queen's, forcing his clash with Sam Querrey into Friday as poor light stopped play. Building on his excellent victory over Stanislas Wawrinka, Ward matched defending champion Querrey blow for blow to head into Friday locked at 6-3 3-6.

Ward was the lowest-ranked player left in the competition, but he gave Querrey a stern examination, conceding just a single break in the opening set, before finding one of his own to force a decider.

Shock of the day came from world No. 54 Adrian Mannarino, who beat Juan Martin Del Potro 7-6(3) 7-6(7). Del Potro lost the first set on a tiebreaker despite serving ten aces, before both players shared four breaks of serve en route to a second tiebreaker, which again went the way of the unfancied Frenchman.

Four-time champion Andy Roddick was the first man to reach the quarter-finals after a straight sets victory over South Africa's Kevin Anderson. Roddick saved two break points in his first service game and a single break of serve in each set was enough to claim a 6-4 6-4 victory. Next up for Roddick is seventh seed Fernando Verdasco after the Spaniard beat ninth seed David Nalbandian 7-5 6-1.

At the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Lleyton Hewitt used the power of Andreas Seppi to return brilliantly in a 6-4 6-4 victory. Hewitt broke three times to book a quarter-final spot after an hour and 20 minutes. He is joined by Gael Monfils who needed less than an hour to beat Ivan Dodig 6-2 6-3.

Elsewhere, No. 6 seed Florian Mayer saw off Yen-Hsun Lu 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4 to set up a clash with Monfils, but seventh seed Alexandr Dolgopolov is out after a 6-3 7-6(5) loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber, who now takes on Hewitt.

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