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Monday, April 28, 2025
Other SportsRafael Nadal wins again to book Swedish Open final spot

Rafael Nadal wins again to book Swedish Open final spot

Rafael Nadal beat Duje Ajdukovic to book his place in the Swedish Open final.

The Spaniard has been gearing up for the summer Olympics in Paris and looks to be in top form as he won in three sets against the Croat.

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It is the first final Nadal has made since 2022, when he made it to the last stage of the French Open.

He will face seventh seed Nuno Borges, who beat Thiago Tirante in the other semi-final.

The 38-year-old went down 3-6 in the first set, before bouncing back to win 6-4 6-4.

Along the way, he won each of his six break points to earn a spot in his 131st tour final.

It is his 72nd on clay, although it comes as a price as he has now had to pull out of the doubles semi-final with Casper Ruud to preserve his energy.

Nadal is due to partner recent Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympics and has still had sufficient preparation in Sweden.

Speaking after the match he said: “It was a very tough match – my opponent has one of the best backhands I have played against.

“He came here with a lot of confidence. I was trying to push him back and it was very difficult. I found a way to survive.

“It is always a good feeling to get back into a final.

“I’m still in this process of recovering a lot of things that I lost because I had an important hip surgery almost a year ago. Things are not going that easy but I am fighting.”

The final fo the Swedish Open will take place on Sunday in Bastad.

Mitch Fretton
Mitch Fretton
Mitch is a freelance sports journalist with experience working for LiveScore, GOAL and Colchester United. He has experience working from both his desk at home and in the press box at games covering the Champions League and international football.
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