World number one Rafael Nadal is now just two wins away from winning the elusive Miami Masters title after outlasting a tough battle with Milos Raonic of Canada in the quarterfinals of this ATP Masters 1000 event 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes.
Nadal is a three-time runner-up at this event.
Up next for the Spaniard is Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic after the latter swept past Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 7-6. Nadal does have a 17-3 head to head series lead over Berdych and will be the overwhelming favorite to win the match.
“For me to be in semi-finals after losing early in Indian Wells is very important for my confidence,” said Nadal.
“The difference between quarter-finals and semi-finals is a lot, and tomorrow I have another day to try to keep playing better.”
Despite the loss, Raonic believes that his game is improving, especially against top players like Nadal.
“I feel like this time around I handled myself much better, especially considering the conditions,” said Raonic. “So a lot of things we have been working on I managed to incorporate, and I feel like I’m much further ahead. I dealt with the situation much better than I would have a few weeks ago or few months ago.”
