Tennis world number 1, Rafael Nadal faced off and defeated Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi-finals to set up a clash with South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the finals. Del Potro took the first set but Rafa soon responded and won in 4 sets. Anderson also took 4 sets to see off a challenge from Pablo Carreno Busta to enter his first Grand Slam final.
Sunday’s final will be Nadal’s 23rd Grand Slam final while he chases a 16th Grand Slam win. Nadal said “It means a lot. It’s been an amazing season after a couple of years with some troubles. This year since the beginning has been very emotional, to have the chance to be in another final here is very, very important for me. We did a lot of good work, we believed in what we were doing and I still have the passion and the love for this game.”
After downing Carreno Busta, Anderson said, “It’s been a long road. We’ve been privileged to play in these tournaments against some of the game’s great players; it was nice for some of them to give us the opportunity to do this [by the absence]. It’s why we worked so hard. It was an unbelievably tough match for both of us. I really had to dig deep there. I’m just over the moon. I’ve given myself one more shot.