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French Open: Nadal reaches semis, on course for 11th triumph

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Rafael Nadal

Defending champion Rafael Nadal turned around his quarter-final clash against Diego Schwartzman to advance to the last four of the ongoing French Open.

Top seed Nadal trailed 6-4 3-5 to the Argentine 11th seed when play was halted due to rain on Wednesday.

But the world number one clinched the second set soon after the restart on Thursday.

Losing just four games afterwards, the Spaniard went on to win to a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 within an hour and 42 minutes.

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Nadal will now face either Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro, whose unfinished quarter-final was also moved over to Thursday, in Friday’s semi-final.

Whoever reaches the final from that side of the draw will face either Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem or unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato in Sunday’s final.

Nadal is bidding to lift an 11th title at the Roland Garros, and a 17th Grand Slam title in his career.

For the records, Rafael Nadal is only the third man in the Open era, after Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors, to reach 11 semi-finals at the same Grand Slam.

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