Rafael Nadal defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-4 7-5 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the last four stages of the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.
Schwartzman may have been the smallest player in 25 years to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals but he gave Nadal a big fight and forced the Spaniard to grind out a win.
With Roger Federer and 2018 champion Novak Djokovic already exited from the tournament, Nadal’s path to a fourth U.S. Open trophy has been cleared of familiar hurdles.
Nadal now faces big-hitting Italian Matteo Berrettini, who ground out a 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 7-6(5) over France’s Gael Monfils, in the semi-finals.